HALLOWEEN OR HALLOWED BE THY NAME LORD

Halloween is a time for kids and occasionally big kids to walk the streets to receive candy from neighbors. It is a time of festivities and fall festivals, with many having costume parties and a time of visiting friends and family. We have friends that love to decorate for all the holidays throughout the year—they choose to celebrate life! Life must be celebrated on a daily basis—in good times and not so good times.

Arriving at the door of a home for candy dressed in any form of costume can be a trick or a treat. It is not the devil’s day unless we give it to him. Halloween as found on Wikipedia means: a contraction of “All Hallows’ Evening’, also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day.

It is also thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. While I am fully aware there are angelic beings—both good and evil, we must know our authority in God by understanding the power in His Name and not live in fear of familiar spirits and evil.

In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1^st to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday “All Saints Day” and incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community event to bring children together to go to doors and receive candy and say “Trick or Treat.”

Halloween can either be a celebration or superstition. I am sure if you have lived long enough, you know that good and evil exist in life—from bullying, false accusations, false witnesses, to all sort of horrendous crimes. Enough said about that—so let’s get to the funny story.

Something happened that was quite funny a few days ago. Someone we know got caught with his hand in the cookie jar taking a cookie when he was off of sweets for a few days (no it wasn’t my husband), stole his kids donuts, and when trying to snatch his wife’s donut—well, you guessed it. He got caught.

I thought it was a great reminder for parents not to take their kids candy—but definitely check it. By the way, don’t use the excuse you are only checking their candy when you get caught eating a piece or two. Make sure to go to places where you know the people, and that all candy is properly wrapped and has been bought from a store, rather than trusting the lives of our children and grandkids to evil tricks and any unfortunate problems.

A few weeks ago, a group of us were fasting and praying for America and I was sitting in a restaurant when I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me that the man we will not name was wanting sweets right then so I sent a text to his wife to advise. She later called me to share that they were walking out of a local mall and he had just asked her if the cinnamon-sugar pretzels would be considered a dessert.  Too funny, don’t you think? God has amazing ways of letting us all know He sees and reveals all hidden truth. He also goes to extreme measures to teach us that we are hearing Him so that when it is something of great importance, we believe immediately.

The highest form of wisdom comes from God and gives us the capacity to see things from God’s perspective; then we move to obey God through following biblical truths.

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit reveals all hidden truth and shows us things to come (take time to read John 14-16 chapters.) We need to hear God in the small things and the big things.

God uses daily life to train us to hear Him when we turn to Him to learn—and we choose to live by the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Jesus Christ works in the time of crisis, when you don’t know what to do, when it seems all hell has been assigned against you, and when you receive that call of a bad medical report. God’s Word works in times of blessings, in peaceful times, in times of war, in all times. The divine guidance of God also works in making sure your kids are safe on Halloween.

Instead of living in fear, remember to honor God and His name. Let His Name be hallowed. What does that mean? It means roughly the same thing “let your kingdom come” and “let your will be done” as the first “Hallowed be thy Name.” God honoring His Name means making the holiness of the name known to the nations. Take time to read Ezekiel 36:22-24:

Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus says the LORD GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My Holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you come. I will sanctify [hallow] My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the LORD GOD, when through you I display My holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. (NRSV).

God’s Word works in the small and great, in your home to the nations!

DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI