Overcoming the Curse of Halloween
(Philippians 4:8-9)
A. Introduction
1. Halloween is a very controversial issue that
every Christian is forced to deal with. Every
year at the end of October our country’s streets
and sidewalks are filled with young boys and
girls that have one thing, and one thing only in
mind, CANDY. Many children dress up as their
favorite cartoon or Disney character, their
favorite animal, a pirate, a princess, a police
officer, a fireman, or one of their many heroes.
2. I grew up in a family that saw no harm in
dressing up for Halloween and going trick-or-
treating. We even used to have costume parties
and would bob for apples and would eat cake and
ice cream. Our family enjoyed Halloween and my
parents encouraged our creativity by letting us
choose or make our own costumes.
3. We did not practice Halloween as part of a cult
nor did we think of it as some evil holiday but
rather we had a good Christian time with each
other and our friends. We saw it is a time of
fellowship and good cheer.
4. Therefore I do not see anything inherently evil
with trick-or-treating or bobbing for apples if
it is done in a way that brings honor to God and
not Satan.
5. Every year the same issue arises and every year
it is dealt with in nearly the same fashion. Many
ignore the issue completely and turn their lights
off, lock the doors. And pretend they are not
home. But as parent you can only ignore the issue
for a short time then it surfaces to the point
where you can not ignore it any longer.
6. Many people believe that it is wrong to
participate in Halloween in any way, shape, or
form. But the truth of the matter is that we are
Christians and we have nothing to fear from
Halloween because it is just a day. But it is a
day that we must be aware of and not run from.
7. Today we are going to discuss overcoming the
curse of Halloween. The passage that we will be
reading from comes to us from Philippians 4:8-9.
B. History
1. The passage emphasizes that we are to concentrate
on what is true, noble, right, pure, and whatever
is praiseworthy. But then this passage goes on to
state that whatever we have learned, heard, or seen
in the author we were to put into practice.
2. The author of this passage is Paul and he wrote
these words while he was under house arrest in
Rome. We know from reading scripture that Paul was
not a coward and he reached many pagans by asking
them to evaluate their own religion and practices.
We have to ask ourselves today what would Paul do
in this situation.
3. We know what Paul would do in this situation
because he tells in his letter to the believers in
the Roman Empire.
a. Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
4. How do we overcome this holiday with pagan roots?
How do we overcome the curse of Halloween? The
very first thing we must is look at the history of
Halloween.
5. There are three different origins of Halloween
that have occurred over the centuries to give us
the picture of Halloween today.
a. The Festival of Samhain
1. The druids, members of a pagan order in
Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, celebrated the
Eve of Samhain on October 31.
2. This antedates Christianity and provides a
source of several modern day customs such as
ghost stories, bonfires, and costumes.
3. This was considered the time of the year in
which both good and bad spirits roamed the
earth. It was a night of ghosts, fairies,
goblins, and when bonfires were built and
futures foretold.
4. Although the Romans outlawed the druids, the
Halloween costumes of druidic origin remained
and developed to what we know today.
b. The Black Sabbath
1. This is a day that people practicing
witchcraft believe that their powers are
stronger and more powerful than any other day
of the year.
2. The most Unholy of Days
c. All Saints’ Day – Roman Catholic
1. The evening before All Saints’ Day provides
us with another origin of Halloween.
2. Celebrated by the Roman Catholic and
Anglican churches in honor of God and all of
his saints. It was established in the 7th
Century when the Pantheon in Rome was
consecrated as the Church of the Blesse
Virgin and All Martyrs.
d. Reformation Movement Starts
1. Martin Luther realized that Christians are
saved not through their own efforts but
rather by the gift of God’s grace which they
accept by faith.
2. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his
95 Theses opposing the manner in which
indulgences were being sold.
C. Alternatives
1. As we look at the origin of Halloween we can
clearly see that it truly has paganistic roots and
celebrating a pagan holiday is clearly not
acceptable to God.
2. As Christians what do we do with this holiday?
How do we bring honor to God on this day? Does he
want us to ignore this day until the next year or
not?
3. Well, the only problem that I see with ignoring
an issue is that overtime the issue continually
gets worse until one day it is out of control. How
can we bring honor to God on this day? How can we
overcome evil with good?
4. Martin Luther once said “The best way to drive
out the devil, if he will not yield to the texts
of scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he
cannot bear scorn.”
5. Thomas Moore once said “The devil…the proud
spirit cannot endure to be mocked.”
6. We overcome evil by not letting it overcome us.
We overcome evil by standing firm in our faith. We
overcome evil by showing our light to others and
giving them a chance to witness God’s love and his
grace.
7. How de we show God’s love on Halloween? One lady
stated that she leaves the porch light on and puts
a sign on her front door each year that reads:"Our
family does not participate in Halloween. Have a
safe return home. God bless you.” This one
alternative but let us look at some other
alternatives that we might offer as suggested by
Steve Ross in "Halloween: What’s a Christian to
Do?".
a. Reverse door-to-door evangelism.
1. Every year most of us are visited people
that distribute material or literature on
their beliefs and religion. Some Christians
go door-to-door to tell others about Jesus
and give them some literature.
2. As an alternative this year to Halloween
why not try this attitude in reverse. You
know that you will have trick-or-treaters so
when they come knocking on your door, give
them some candy and a religious tape or
literature on fear, prayer, or sin.
Christian bookstores have these things
already set up for you.
b. Reformation Day costume party.
1. As we learned earlier Martin Luther posted
his 95 theses on October 31,1517 and this can
be explained to the children at a costume
party where the kids come dressed as biblical
characters.
2. Then you could give prizes out for the most
creative or funniest costume.
c. Harvest Festival.
1. Host a special harvest festival where the
kids can come and go trick-or-treating at
different booths set up in the church.
Invite the neighborhood kids to come as
their favorite bible character and join in
the fun, games, and refreshments.
d. Progressive Dinner
1. Help the kids organize a costume
progressive dinner where they come dressed up
as a bible character and eat a different part
of the meal at different houses.
2. Have games set up for them at each house
and end the evening at the church for a short
devotional over evil or harm.
D. Conclusion
1. We have learned about several ways that we can
overcome the curse of Halloween with good and I
encourage all of you to consider these
alternatives this year and to bring honor to God
by using light to fight the darkness and faith
to fight fear.
