Halloween? Reformation Day? Which is it?

Happy Halloween. Blessed Reformation Day. Which is it? Which do you "celebrate"? Which do you participate in?

That is a challenging question for one who is a church leader. Can I dress up and enjoy the trick-or-treating? Or do I have to withdraw from it and remember the way Martin Luther saved the church from the evils of works and the Roman Church?

There are those who would say, "No, you cannot celebrate Halloween. It is a pagan festival honoring the devil. Avoid it!" They would be correct at one thing, if you are celebrating Halloween to honor the devil, then it should be avoided. As a child of God, I will not do anything to honor the one who brings death and destruction to the goodness of the creation of God.

But they are wrong. The children going out trick-or-treating could care less about honoring the devil. Putting on a costume does not mean I am paying homage to the devil. It means that I am participating in an activity that brings smiles to faces and candy to children (and their parents). Perhaps it is a holiday which is meant to give more business to the dentists. Maybe they are the bad ones in this whole thing. No, I guess not. We can't get upset with dentists because we give candy to children who will then have tooth decay. Be sure to brush when you are done with the candy.

I have no problem with Halloween. I know that there are brothers and sisters in Christ who do have. I will respect that. At the same time, I will also ask that they respect those of us who will dress as ghosts and goblins, zombies and supermen, Spiderman and Wonder Woman. Me, I love to see the kids. I love to see the teens dressed up and going around. Are they too old? Of course not. If they want to enjoy the day, why should we stop them? It is better than going out and destroying property on this night. Come to my table at Light the Night. No age limit. I will give candy to young and old. Just let me enjoy your costume and bring a smile to my face.

Can we celebrate Reformation day? Why yes we can. It is the day when the Lord began to bring the Church back to the teachings of the Bible, the sole source for doctrine and practice in His Church. So today I will talk about Luther in chapel. I have been teaching the 7/8 grade day school kids about Luther and the Reformation. I taught the 5/6 grade day school class about the Reformation yesterday.

But if we allow our remembrance of the Reformation to elevate Luther to the place of "savior" of the church, then we are just as wrong as those who "honor" the devil on Halloween. Luther is not the savior of the church. He was merely a tool that God used to bring His Word back into the forefront of the Church and its teachings. We do not worship Luther. That would be wrong. That is wrong. At times the very ones that demand that we do not celebrate Halloween will turn around and elevate Luther to the point where it seems as those we are worshiping him rather than God. Wrong! Can't do that. I would rather not mention Luther at all than worship him. He is a mere man. God is still the God of the Church. Jesus is still the only Savior. Period.

So what will I do? I will enjoy this day. I will remember what God did through Luther. I will celebrate the wonder of God and His Word and the power He has to change lives and give salvation. I will dress up as something and enjoy giving candy out to children who pass by my table tonight at Light the Night.

I have no problem with either. Both can be a part of this day. When the day is over, I will still thank God for the day. It is all about our Lord and His presence in this created world. I will worship Him alone. Not Satan. Not Luther. Only Jesus Christ.

Happy Halloween. Blessed Reformation Day. What kind of candy do you have?