Giving and Receiving at Halloween

October 31, 2004 | Link To Us | Index | This sermon is for your spiritual edification and to spread a little hope and cheer. Esther 2:15-18

It's that time again when, ladies and gentlemen when the little goblins, super heroes, and princesses go out to other homes hoping for a nice treat to fill out their pillowcases or plastic jack-o-lanterns, or whatever a child may be taking with them to gather up all the candy to enjoy later. Then they get home, eat a lot of it and then later it is impossible to get them into bed for the night, because they are too busy running on their own form of rocket fuel, like ghosts looking for a place to call home.

But seriously though, it is also a time for giving and receiving. It is a little like Christmas, but only in the exchange of presents. Realizing of course, there are the givers and the receivers on Halloween night. Now some people may say that all this ghost stuff and goblins may not be conducive to good Christian behavior, but then this kind of person is often the "Bah Humbug" come Christmas time.

I remember getting all that candy in my orange plastic jack-o-lantern. The people at the door somewhat wrestling with the small opening at the top, quite often dropping the sweet stuff on the ground. But thanks to the individual wrapping, the candy was hopefully safe, and I could go on my merry way in search of more teeth-decaying wonders.

For those of you who are bored of giving candy, you might try a pack of sports cards, or maybe one sports card. I remember one Halloween some of the kids got excited over sports cards. And yes you can still get sports cards cheap, instead of the ten-dollar-a-card gold-plated ones.

Halloween is that one time of the year that we can give something to every child that comes to our door. We can make them feel welcome. We can see their faces as they get excited over the sweetness. It is a time when we can keep the hobgoblins of self-importance away, and do something for our fellow human child that will make them feel good inside.

And how many other times of the year can you say that? There is Christmas time, but that should be a time when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. This even though Christmas is being seen by more and more people as a time when the latest toy fad is a lot more important to people. People have lost the true meaning of Christmas.

But with Halloween, you can just be you and help make the neighborhood seem a bit more cheery and see, at least a few, sparkling eyes as you hear a child laugh and seem excited as there parents tell them to say, "Thank you" and they do, quite often with a bit of elation in their voices.

Wouldn't it be nice if the human race could find more days like Halloween to brighten people's day with. There should be a Halloween for adults as well. But then that is Christmas time. A time to exchange the love and the understanding that God give us every day, and helps answer the prayers of people during the wonderful holiday season.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thanks for this time when we can be giving and make it possible for kids to fee better in this hectic world of self-importance. It is nice when there can be a time of sanctuary from the rat race of the world, and Halloween can be that time. Thank you for times like this, and we thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2004 Bryan Hill