Halloween and the Cross

From this month's newsletter's "Pastor's corner"...

As I sit here to write this thought, it is Halloween.  When I was little, I enjoyed the innocent activities of Halloween—dressing up as a superhero or ballplayer and going out to get candy in a plastic pumpkin.

 When I got to college, the guys that were into Halloween started to disturb me a little, with a fascination with death, torture and gore.  They liked to make replicas of old torture devices from past centuries and create “decorations” that re-enacted the bloody results of these sadistic contraptions.

It occurred to me the other day that if it weren’t for Jesus, a crucifixion cross would probably be one of the most popular features of these macabre displays. 

It is helpful to realize that even though we coat the cross in gold, Jesus’ cross was coated in His blood.  It was a cruel and gory and ugly way to die.  Jesus endured this death for us.

It’s also an illustration of what Jesus did in His death on the cross and at His resurrection.  Just as the cross itself has been redeemed from a symbol of torture to a symbol of life and hope, Jesus has defeated death and redeemed us to a life free from the fear of death and with the hope of glory.

 

Beyond the cartoonish displays that litter the landscape every October, there are symbols of death all around us, and spiritual darkness seems to abound. But Jesus has already won the victory. Look to the cross and take heart. And be urgent in your call to offer the hope of the cross to the world around you. See you this Sunday.