Inviting our Neighbors to Eternal Life in Jesus
November 10, 2009
On Saturday from 4 - 6:30 PM we hope to intercept as many trick-or-treaters as possible and share food, games, and the love of God with them. I thought I would give you a preview of a handout we will be giving to the parents, printed in both English and Spanish. Our hope is that this will stir up conversation that can point to Christ and that many would come to trust in our risen Savior.
I look forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Pastor Chris
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Halloween is a holiday that dates back thousands of years to Great Britain. The Celts believed that on October 31, the line separating the living from the dead became very thin, allowing many good and bad spirits of the dead to come back to visit or haunt those who were still alive. Many rituals emerged from this belief like building bonfires and dressing up in costumes. The holiday has undergone many changes since these ancient times, yet the fascination with death and the dead remain a common theme.
Most cultures have similar holidays that draw attention to death and those who have died. This should not surprise us, since dying is one of the experiences that all humans of all cultures have in common. Death is a mystery, because no one ever returns from it to let us know what is on the other side of the line that separates the living from the dead.
Though there are still things we do not understand about death, God has made a few things very clear in the Bible. First, death came into the world because humans rebelled against God, cutting themselves off from the source of life like a plant cut from its roots. And second, God came to live among us in the person of Jesus Christ, so that he might once and for all defeat death. Jesus died and was buried, but he rose again from the dead on the third day. In his resurrection Jesus has conquered death once and for all!
As many in our neighborhood celebrate Halloween tonight, we pray that you would consider the promise that Jesus offers to all who trust in him: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
Hoping in the one who triumphed over death,
Pastor Chris Davis