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Made Alive With Christ On Halloween


As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV1984)

Happy Halloween! Happy Reformation Day! Happy All Hallows Eve! Today is the day of the year that many choose to celebrate evil, death, devils, witches, and many other abhorrent things and ideas while others celebrate the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg. Today is also the eve of the day that the church celebrates the lives of all the saints who have preceded us in death and who have left us a living legacy in the church. 

It has always bothered me that many people in our country use this day to focus on evil and death and all of those "symbols" that sadly go along with Halloween. Others celebrate today as the so called "Devil's Day," claiming that if Jesus gets Christmas Eve, Satan must get Halloween.

However, as followers of Jesus Christ, we who were once followers of the ruler of the kingdom of the air and the spirit who is at work in those who are disobedient, we who were once living lives of disobedience and caving into the cravings of our sinful nature and living as objects of wrath, are now redeemed and alive. We are alive because of the great love that God has shown us and made available to the entire creation. We were once dead in our transgressions, but we are now alive and free from sin because of the grace of God!

Yes, today is Halloween, a pagan holiday confiscated by the Church and now celebrated once again in many pagan ways. In spite of that, it is a day when we can recall the grace we have received from God through Jesus Christ. Halloween is another opportunity that we can take to share that good news with others, showing them how we are no longer dead, but alive! 

Share the good news today and have a happy, fun, and safe Halloween!
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