Before you get too worked up, I’m not a legalist who has elevated October 31st to the level of a Primary Article of the Faith. Hopefully that puts to bed some suspicions of where I’m headed with this. Consequentially, all the legalists are now mad, and proclaiming that I am going to hell. You all can quit reading, and go back to slandering me online.
Here is a screenshot I took of my search results for, “Reformation Day kids costumes.” This is to prove, that theoretically, people do dress their kids up for this day. I know some of you think this is ludicrous, and that Christian parents should just let their kids dress up like scary demons from hell.
When I was a kid, way back in the 70’s and 80’s, the costumes were pretty tame. Most of us either wore a plastic super hero mask held to your head with a little elastic string, or our mom’s put make-up on us to turn us into hobos, mustached villains, or some other low-budget production. We could never afford masks. That was for the rich kids. So, we went as hobos, or cowboys. I contrast those days with our time, and how kids come to my door dressed in elaborate costumes that appear to be pretty expensive, and time demanding. I also compare our costumes themes, to the ones I see today. Nobody was scared by our costumes. Even the teenagers with the skeleton suites weren’t scary. Now I see kids, with their parents, come to my door wearing masks that rival Hollywood make-up before all the CGI animation. I’ve seen deformed monstrous faces, demons, blood drenched werewolves, zombies with gore hanging out of their mouths, all the while hearing little voices from inside the hideous masks echoing the nostalgic high pitched ultimatum of youth, “Trick, or treat!”
Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of princesses, cowboys, superheroes, and sheet-clad ghosts. Even in the scariest of visages, there is still the innocent desire for treats. (I’m not calling the little sinners innocent. Calm down Felicia.) Considering what I’ve just shared, I want you to think about an alternative to celebrating traditional Halloween. It is a traditional holiday on the same day as Halloween. It is called, “Reformation Day.” You can still dress your kids up. They can still get treats. Instead of celebrating scary demonic looking candy extortion, we can celebrate the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. This was a good thing, unless you are Roman Catholic. Then, well… You pretty much would rather people celebrate scary looking gargoyle statues on Churches, or something. That is one thing I never really got. Let’s put these scary sculptures on our Churches to keep the baddies away… I thought by the nature of God being Who He is, and the Church being His bride, we wouldn’t need scary sculptures… Back on topic! You could have your kids dress up like Monks, or maidens. You could do a Reformation Day celebration at your Church. We have soups, and breads. You could still hand out candy at your door, but also provide some gospel tracts. I like the ones from Living Waters. Here is one of their Halloween tracts. You could put a Bluetooth speaker outside, and have it stream a reading of Luther’s 95 Thesis in English. You could put a TV in the window, and have the audio on the outdoor speaker, while looping the, “Are you a good person?” cartoon gospel presentation. You can teach your kids about why the Reformation was so important in world, and Church history. This is also a good way to contrast how the world views Halloween, and how we view the world. Your kids will see the scary costumes. You have them dressed in costumes, but they are not demonic looking. You can show them the difference between worldviews. Teach them the virtues in the Christian worldview. They are old enough to understand more than you give them credit. You all are a pretty creative bunch. You can come up with some good ways to celebrate the day, and teach your kids good things, while not making them blind to how the world is.
By the way, ladies… We need to talk. You should never wear immodest costumes while escorting your little toddlers around the neighborhood on their quest for a sugar high. I’ve seen way too much, of way too many women who live in these parts. No naughty nurse costumes. No lady vampire costumes. No witch costumes. You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves! I know the Christian moms are not doing this. You Christian moms need to tell your friends this is not a good thing for them to be doing.
Now, to the dads. You should not be walking your kids around the neighborhood with a beer attached to your finger in frat boy style. I’m not against having a beer, but you are supposed to be protecting your children on their quest, not simply tolerating the experience, and needing to self-medicate. Be present, and enjoy the time you have with them before they reach 12 and decide they hate you.
Alrighty then, rant over. Go out, and share the gospel of Jesus. Enjoy your life in Him. Enjoy your family.
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