Positive Halloween Ideas
How can you turn a holiday dominated by scary and deathly themes into a positive experience for your family?
Choose one of these fun ideas that can help you reinforce a Christian perspective on good, evil, life and death. If you don’t have a church home, we would love for you to join us for an upcoming worship service to celebrate God’s goodness with other families in the area.
Some fun ideas
DECEPTION ON DISPLAY
C.S. Lewis said “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors.” Both extremes will be on display Halloween night as many overemphasize demonic images while others treat them as a game. Help your family reinforce the Christian view of the devil. While preparing for an invasion of “trick or treat” guests or activities spend five minutes setting up the following contest between family members.
1) READ & DISCUSS: Read John 8:44 and point out that the devil is a liar – meaning he seeks to fool us into believing what is not true. Explain that just like some Halloween costumes try to trick us into fearing a harmless person, Satan’s schemes try to fool us into believing lies that can ruin our lives. Then read James 4:7 and point out that by submitting to God (and His truth) we can resist the Devil (and his lies).
2) COMPETE: Turn the trick or treat activity into a game by offering prizes for winners in two categories.
CATEGORY #1: Be the first person to spot and point at costumes that reflect beauty, health, joy, fun or life and say “God Rules!” Keep track of how many each person spots.
CATEGORY #2: Be the first person to spot and point at costumes that seem scary, ugly, evil, deathly or bizarre and say “Satan Fools!” Keep track of how many each person spots.
3) REINFORCE: At the end of the evening hand out prizes before re-reading the passages above and repeat the following jingle: “God Rules. Satan Fools.” Hold your child’s hand before going to bed and invite him/her to pray: “Dear God, we know that you rule even when Satan tries to fool. Thank you for being good and beautiful rather than scary and ugly.”
PUMPKIN PARABLE
Follow these steps for a great experience…
Conduct a typical pumpkin carving activity, but use each step as part of the overall “pumpkin parable” by adding Bible reading and questions.
First, have the children help with the clean out portion of the carving – reaching their hand into the open pumpkin to pull out seeds and other “gunk” that will feel yucky to their hands.
Pause to read Matthew 23:25-28 and ask the children how the inside “gunk” is like our sin (yucky, smelly, etc.).
Once you have cleaned out the pumpkin, read: 1 John 1:9 and Revelation 3:20 together and explain that confessing our sins enables God to take away the “yuck” of our sinful hearts.
Now draw and carve a happy face (not a scary face) on the pumpkin. Then read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and/or Ephesians 2:10 and explain that Jesus wants to make us into a “new creation” – just as the pumpkin filled with yuck became a jack-o-lantern with a joy-filled face.
Now read Matthew 5:14-16 while lighting and inserting a candle into the jack-o-lantern and turn down the lights to show how God wants to use us to shine His light, even on what is normally a dark and scary night.
Memorize the jingle – “On a dark and scary night, we will shine Jesus’ light!”
