Living The Dream

I remember my first Halloween costume being Casper the Friendly Ghost.  As a kid, Halloween was one of my most favorite holidays, for obvious reasons; dressing up in a costume and getting gobs and gobs of candy.  I even remember our church having halloween parties, bobbing for apples and the whole bit.

Then somewhere down the road my parents and a few of the good Christians around us discovered the evils of Halloween.  They learned that it was a holiday “dedicated to Satan and his demons.” So in an effort to diminish any extra attention being given to old Lucifer, we no longer celebrated it.  No costumes, no candy, no trick or treating, no bobbing for apples, nothing.

I kind of wonder if there wasn’t a collective thought among the people we knew who began to boycott Halloween, that if they refused to celebrate it that it would eventually go away.  I don’t know if that’s the case, but Halloween is still here, and people celebrate it.

A few years ago I heard about a couple who were actually deacons or elders at a church we were attending.  I heard that Halloween was the biggest holiday of the year for them.  I even heard that they put more lights up at Halloween than they did at Christmas.  Now I don’t know how true that was, but when I heard the reason why they went all out on Halloween I was truly impressed.   This couple lit their house up on Halloween like the Milky Way!! And every year they gave away the biggest and best candy bars or treats they could find.   Attached to each piece of candy was a verse of encouragement from Scripture, and as I understand it their house became somewhat of a favorite place to visit every October 31st.

Their brilliance was nothing short of inspirational for me and I began to wonder:    What would it look like if a church didn’t turn off the lights and hide on Halloween night?  What would it say to our community if we didn’t have a “christianized” event that was a sanctified costume party in our fellowship halls, but actually went out to where the people are and took the light of Jesus with us?  That’s when City on A Hill was birthed in my head.

I went to a school just down the road from where our church meets and talked to the principle about doing something for the students of that school and the kids in our community on Halloween night and she loved the idea.  I shared it with the people of RIverChurch and they got behind the idea as well and now City on A Hill is just over 24 hours away.

Tomorrow night we’re going to Hillcrest Elementary School, which sits up on a hill and beside one of the busiest freeways in Chattanooga (Hwy 153).  We’ve rented an spotlight to shine up high in the sky.  We’ve got about 12 90watt flood lights that we are going to use to crown the hilltop, and tons of lights, lamps & Christmas lights as well.  Our people are going to park their cars in the parking lot on top of the hill, and each car will represent a store or place in a city.  They’ll give candy to the kids who arrive, play a game or two with them, and drop a verse of encouragement in their “trick or treat”  bagsbefore they leave.  We’re even giving away free food from “Frank & Furter’s Hot Dog Stand.”

Now some might say we’re giving in, celebrating Satan’s own personal holiday, doing our own “christianized” event or a “sanctified costume party.”  I prefer to think that instead of cursing the darkness, we’re lighting a candle.  If you live close by, you should come shine with us.

“You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden” – Jesus