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“Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness
instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
(John 3:19NIV)
October 2018 – This is still a work in progress, but as Halloween approaches I have just found myself more and more thinking about how “dark” this time of year is and just wishing that there were a way in which we could create a new holiday to celebrate instead of Halloween.
I know a lot of Christians celebrate with harvest festivals, but in a lot of ways I feel like that's what Thanksgiving is celebrating, so it seems odd to celebrate it twice.
I’ve also been to Bible themed costume parties, which were pretty cool, but even that just felt like an attempt to “Christianize” a Halloween party by taking the “scaries” out of it.
John 3:19 is the verse that comes to mind when I think about this time of year. “Light
has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light . . .” Halloween
is such a dark holiday, but we are called to walk in light (1 John 1:7) and to be
the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-
Growing up as a child I always felt like this one day each year, October 31, was a day in which Christians would “hide away” in their little corners and allow the world to embrace the darkness. And how deep that darkness always felt as a child!
Now, as I think of my own children and think about the way we are going to approach this holiday as a family, I feel the need to rise above merely “tolerating” this dark season and actually discover a way to redeem it! To not merely “tone down” or “Christianize” the Halloween traditions, but create a whole new holiday and completely new traditions. A holiday that focuses on LIGHT instead of darkness.
I’m still figuring out exactly what this is going to look like in our family, but I thought I would just start by brainstorming a bunch of ideas and then go from there. So, here is my list of ideas for a holiday that celebrates the light of Christ in the presence of much darkness in the world around us.
- Theme Verse: John 1:5 – “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
- Don’t wait until nightfall to begin the festivities, enjoy the light of day as you begin celebrating and feasting, and let it continue into the night. Notice how the dynamics change as the sun sets, but even as the world around gets darker, the lights (candles, flashlights, glowsticks, etc) in the room become more noticeable and seem to shine all the brighter!
- Light candles, one for each person in the family/group. Take just a brief moment to acknowledge the fact that the darker the room is the brighter the light shines! And the more candles you are the more light their is in the room. We are all called to be candles shining in the dark, even one candle can make a big difference in a dark room, and when we shine together with other believers, we can really have a great impact in the world around us!
- Light Disco. Play some fun, light hearted music. Give everyone some glow sticks and have fun dancing to the music!
- Host a bond fire! Don’t forget to talk about people are naturally drawn to the light and how wonderful it is to share fellowship with the people you gather around with. This goes really well with the verse in 1 John 1:7, which talks about the fellowship we have when we walk in the light.
- Speaking of “walking in the light” (1 John 1:7), it could be fun for younger children if an adult has a flashlight that they have to follow as it makes a path for them around the room from one point to another. Having a nice prize or treat at the end can help make it all the more rewarding.
- Flashlight scavenger hunt. Hide some little gifts around the room that the kids need to find, but the room will be completely dark, so they need to use their flashlights. If your kids like Easter egg hunts, they should love this!
- Sing light-
themed songs. A few examples: “This Little Gospel Light of Mine”, “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam”, “Shine Jesus Shine”, “The Light of the World is Jesus”. - Shadow theater. You could make shadow puppets, or hang a large sheet with a light behind it that people can use to create their own shadows on the screen. Act out a story or skit using the light and shadows.
- Carve pumpkins. Use the Pumpkin Patch Parable book to help demonstrate how we are like a carved pumpkin – when we put our lives in God’s hands He cleans us out of all our sins and puts the light of Jesus inside of us so that we can shine brightly for Him as a beautiful and new creation! You may also like the books “The Pumpkin Gospel” or “My Happy Pumpkin: God’s Love Shining Through Me”.
- Go door to door giving treats! Instead of receiving treats how about taking trick or treating to a completely different level and go around distributing treats to your friends and neighbors, or even distributing mini flashlights or glow in the dark items that have a message attached that can remind people that Jesus is the light of the world.
- Make and decorate some Mason Jar Candles (there are lots of different types on Pinterest)!
- Have a “glow in the dark” party. Decorate with glow sticks, colored lights, fiber optics, glow in the dark stars, and more. Dress up with light up shoe laces, fiber optic hair, or glow in the dark glasses! You could even get glow in the dark face paint and offer face painting as a fun activity in the party. If you set up black lights at the party you can increase the experience by encouraging your guests to wear neon clothes that will glow, or by using neon dishes or black light reactive decorations. Turn all the main lights off and just enjoy the beauty of using lots of little lights to illuminate the room. (Check out Pinterest for lots more ideas for hosting a glow in the dark party!)
- Host a “Light Party”. Australia Scripture Union has a lot of ideas for this, check out their Light Party Resources, download their Light Party Newsletter or use the Light Party Pack for ideas.