Dear brothers and sisters,
The fall season is one of my favorite times of the year. I’m reminded of God’s beauty in thechanging colors, His provision in the abundant harvests, and His faithfulness as we approach the end of another year. There’s also something about the weather. I love taking walks in the brisk air, playing with my kids in the leaves, and staying warm inside with a hot glass of apple cider. This is why it is so fitting for us to devote this season to thanksgiving, for it is “God who provides for us all things richly to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Giving thanks to God for His abundant gifts in this season is a biblical theme as well, as we see in Psalm 65:9-11:
“You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”
Some of my favorite hymns are fall themed as well. Consider, for example, the words of “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”:
Come, ye thankful people, come, / Raise the song of harvest home! / All is safely gathered in / Ere the winter storms begin. / God, our Maker, doth provide / For our wants to be supplied. / Come to God’s own temple, come, / Raise the song of harvest home.
There is much to love about the fall. Unfortunately, there is also something about this season that should make us uncomfortable: Halloween. When I was young, my dad used to take us trick- or-treating. I remember a feeling of discomfort as I walked around our neighborhood—even at that young age—as I saw my peers dressed up like the grim reaper, witches, or serial killers. Let me be clear: the issue is not with Halloween itself, but with the way it is typically celebrated. There is nothing wrong with candy, costumes, and a little bit of spookiness. But Halloween in America is far past those things.
Two years ago, Yilina and I visited Boston and Salem, Massachusetts. I’m a church history nerd, and there’s a lot of interesting church history in those towns. On Sunday, we visited a historic Baptist church in Salem. After the service, I spoke to the pastor for a while about ministering in “The Witch City.” There was no laughter or jokes from him about such matters. He noted just how hardened the town has become toward the gospel and stated sadly that there are hundreds of real, practicing witches in the city. It is no wonder that Salem has become the Halloween capital of the world. And then, of course, there’s the interest in horror movies that always returns at this time of year. For some reason that I find hard to explain, many people (even Christians) have a fascination with watching serial killers on a very graphic rampage, sorcerers practicing their demonic arts, or children possessed by demons.
No, my brothers and sisters, no. These things should not be tolerated among us. Demonic activity is real. Serial killers are on the loose. But we should not let our minds dwell on these things, and God forbid that we should celebrate them. Instead, “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).
Against this cultural love-affair with Halloween, I want to set the words of Paul from Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” The Christian truth is the most beautiful truth. It rights every wrong, brings light to the darkness, forgives sinners, and fills our minds with wonder. So, instead of meditating on evil this fall, why not meditate on all that the season reveals about God’s glory and beauty?
In Christ,
Pastor Lucas
