Before we went to bed last night, Laura said, “Let’s talk about what we’re going to do to reach out to our neighbors this Halloween.”
One thing Laura has learned about me over the past thirty years is that I’m a morning person. Creativity and brainstorming aren't part of my pre-bedtime routine.
But now it’s early in the morning, and I’m ready to talk. My wife, on the other hand, marches to the beat of a different drum and holds to a morning motto of: “Mornings are for coffee and contemplation.”
So, for now, I’ll talk to you (my blog readers), and later today (before 9:30 pm) Laura and I can debrief.
What are we going to do to reach out to our neighbors this Halloween? Yes, some Christians believe you should lock your doors, turn off your lights, and hide in the basement due to all the paganism associated with this devilish holiday.
I believe Jesus would have taken a different approach. The religious leaders of His day grumbled that “this man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). They even asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11).
It appears to me that Jesus was far more concerned about “sinners” than about His reputation among the “righteous.” Clearly, we are not to love the world or the things in the world (2 John 2:15). We are to keep ourselves “unstained from the world” (James 1:27).
But let's not forget that Jesus has sent us “into the world” (John 17:18), and we cannot reach those who are out of our reach. I love the boldness of C.T. Studd (1860-1931) when he wrote, “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”
So, back to the question, “What are we going to do to reach out to our neighbors this Halloween?” Here are a few suggestions I came up with to share with Laura that might be helpful to you as well:
Whatever you do this Halloween, let your neighbors know that Christians make pretty good neighbors, too.