Tonight is Halloween and I’m going to show you something about this night that most Christians have never been told. And if you stay with me to the end of the episode, you will never see Halloween the same way again. And you will never need to fear it again. Do you celebrate Halloween or do you avoid it like the black plague? If you put out jacko’lanterns and eat enough candy to knock a moose unconscious, are you betraying your Christian faith? Some Christians are convinced that ghosts, goblins, and plastic skeletons are
literally a portal to the underworld. They’re horrified that anyone would celebrate such a demonic day. And I get it. I don’t think anybody should glorify evil or attempt to enter into the spirits of the underworld to communicate with them. But do you actually know the real roots of Halloween? Would you believe me if I told you Halloween was originally a Christian holiday? For centuries, Christians celebrated Hallow Tide, a three-day reminder that death is defeated. All Hallows Eve, October 31st.
This is a holy vigil before All Saints Day, just like Christmas Eve, the night before the holiday. So Halloween literally means All Hallows Eve. Look it up. All Saints Day, November 1st, the day after Halloween, is all about honoring the saints and the martyrs who have already gone to be with Christ in glory.
And then All Souls Day, November 2nd, remembering the rest of the departed because they’re still part of the story. Historically, this weekend, Hallow Tide is about death is conquered, heaven is open, and the communion of saints is unbroken. Death is swallowed up in victory. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ as it says in 1 Corinthians 15.
