There’s no trick, only treat in faith

Talk about it

In case you don’t already know the origin of Halloween, here’s how it came to be. During the Middle or Dark Ages, many people believed that a lord of death sent evil spirits into animals to play terrible tricks on people. To frighten the spirits away, they wore scary disguises, built bonfires, and sometimes even burned animals in the fires because they believed this would appease the spirits. Sometimes treats were set out in the hope that the spirits would stay away. Nowadays, we might see these beliefs as silly superstitions.

Christians know that no one needs to be afraid of evil spirits because God is almighty. He loves us and will protect us. Instead of fearing the dead or ghosts and goblins, Christians chose to remember departed loved ones on the first day of November. They called Nov. 1 “All Hallows Day.” All Hallows means “All holies” or “all saints.” The word “Saint” is often applied to those who have supposedly done many good things here on earth. But the Bible teaches that saints are sinners like you and me who are set apart or made holy because we trust God’s promise that Jesus Christ came to forgive us of our sins. The word saint is also used to refer to those who have died believing in Jesus and whose souls are right now with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in heaven.

In other words, if we believe in Jesus we are right now also saints who, when we die, will also live in heaven with Him. What a wonderful truth.

Now, about that word “Halloween.” Just as we call Dec. 24, the day before Christmas, “Christmas Eve,” Oct. 31 became known as “All Hallows Eve.” Along the way All Hallows Eve became shortened or contracted into “Hallowe’en.”

While Halloween is now seen as just a harmless, cute, and fun day, we need to remember the evil and scary roots of this event. Jesus and the writers of the Bible made it quite clear that there is a supernatural world. The devil is real. Obviously, he’s not going to jump out at us in the dark, but he is very evil and he works to lead people away from the true God.

Please, stay away from people, books, or websites that appear satanic because evil powers are nothing to fool around with. Instead, God wants us to be exploring the Bible. There, Saint Paul reminds us that when we’re afraid we can be assured that “God did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love.”

God loves us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us and to rise from the dead. Jesus alone has the power to save us from sin, Satan, and from eternal death itself. One day all who believe in Jesus will be in heaven where we will see for ourselves the glory of God and the peace, joy, and beauty of heaven. That’s no “trick.” It’s the truth and the best “treat” of all.

Pastor Schield serves Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in Two Harbors. He doesn’t mind having a pumpkin or two around with warm smiles carved in them. If you have any questions about this or any other topic you can contact him at 834-5345.

Tags: local view, columns, religion