Trick or Treat?

2009 The Original Series and The Next Generation

2010 The Flash, Batgirl, Supergirl, and reporters
from the Gotham Globe and Daily Planet

It seems that I run into many differing opinions about this holiday we have called Halloween. Many enjoy the fun of candy and dressing up, others don't want to have anything to do with it because of it's pagan religious roots. I've never personally been into the whole scary thing myself, so I suppose my family is a bit less traditional about how we go about the holiday. I didn't really concern myself all that much about it until I had kids and started having to think about what we were going to do with it. Most major holidays do hold their roots in religious meaning of various kinds. A friend shared this article which I thought a very good one: Halloween for Christians.

Inspired by today's teenage culture, I caught hold of the "Trick or Treat" theme to take the opportunity to go over some common worldviews and conceptions which I didn't want my kids to truly buy into when they got to their teenage years. Part of what we do each year is to hang some pictures on our dining room window. I bought a Halloween themed coloring book, colored a few of the pictures and laminated them so I could reuse them. I have plans to add more to the collection, but below is a picture of what we have so far. Each picture represents a worldview or conception, and then throughout the month we compare those things to truth from the Bible. I found a "Trick or Treat" sign at a party store, and added a picture of Jesus, because how much better "Treat" is there! Check out the notes I've got so far, and if you think of some other good Bible verses or ideas let me know. My kids crack me up when I hear them say, "Mom, let's learn about witches!"




WITCHES: Manipulating others to get what you want

Fly on brooms. Use magic to make things happen the way they want them to happen.
Most things about witches are pretend. The common thing about all witches is they manipulate people, trick, and/or lie to get what they want. Some think they can tell the future. Some people try to use magic and think they are witches, but they are tricked. The bad, fallen angels try to make those people think they can do magic.
God says in the Bible that trying to really be like a witch is wrong. If God says it is wrong, then we can know it is not a way to make us happy. We can trust Him, because He is always truthful.

Jeremiah 14:14
"They are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds."
Ezekiel 21:29
"They see for you false visions, while they divine lies for you--to place you on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, in the time of the punishment of the end."
Revelation 21:8
"sorcerers...and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."


VAMPIRES AND
WEREWOLVES: Using power to take what you want

Want to live forever. They have special abilities which they use to take whatever they want.
Not real. People have made up many stories about them. There might be people who have hair all over, but they're not werewolves. They are still people. There are people who do very bad things to get what they want, but vampires are just in stories. Living forever isn't the most important thing. Selfish power hurts people. In the long run it does not make us happy when we hurt others to get what we want. It makes it so others can't trust us and don't like us.

1 John 2:16
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."


SKELETONS: Trick or Treat?
Scare people.
Not really scary. We all have skeletons. Without our skeleton we wouldn't be able to walk or really do anything. But skeletons can't walk or move or do anything without the rest of us.

Psalm 139:13-14
"For Thou didst form my inward parts;
Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Thy works,
And my soul knows it very well."

Job 10:8a; 11b
"Thy hands fashioned and made me altogether,...and knit me together with bones and sinews."


GHOSTS: Communicating with the dead

Some people believe ghosts are real. They think that when people die their spirit stays on earth.
Ghosts are not real. The spirits are really the bad, fallen angels tricking people into thinking ghosts are real to confuse them. God says that when people die their spirits go to another place and are no longer on earth. The only kind of Spirit we should be concerned about communicating with is God.

Luke 16:19-31 Jesus told a story about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus.
In verses 22-23 He said this:
"Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom [Paradise]; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes..."

2 Corinthians 5:8
"...we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord."


MUMMIES AND FRANKENSTEIN'S
MONSTERS: Power over life and death

Stories about dead leaders coming back to life, or stories about someone creating a person.
People can't cause someone dead to become alive again, or make something and give it life. Only God can create living things. Only God can resurrect the dead.

John 1:3
"All things came into being by [the Word of God], and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."

Genesis 2:7
"Then the LORD God [the I AM] formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

John 11:25
"Jesus said..., 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies'."

Romans 8:11
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."


JESUS

Jesus is real. He gives treats, not tricks. The devil and the other fallen angels are full of schemes and tricks. Jesus loves us. He gives good advice. He is our Savior. He knows what things really make us happy because He knows what we were created for. Also, He made it so that we can go to Heaven! That is a great BIG treat, don't you think!

John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me."

John 8:44
"The devil...he was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies."

James 1:17
"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..."

1 Peter 5:8
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Ephesians 6:11
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

Psalm 16:11
"Thou wilt make known to me the path of life;
In Thy presence is fullness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."




2011 This year we have the essential costumes of superhero, fully equipped with light saber, and of course the girls had to be princesses! When my son chose the somewhat uncommon superhero of Bibleman, I thought, "Oh dear, I have no idea how we're going to pull that one off!" I'm so glad it came together. What makes Bibleman so incredibly fun is that he is the only superhero who actually gets to wear the armor of God!!



And of course we can not forget our adorable little tiger cub.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation