Sermon Tone Analysis

*Hallowed Opportunity*

*/October 28, 2007/*

 

·         Art’s gentleness and compassion

·         Scott’s wisdom and thoroughness

·         Micah’s passion and insight

 

 

*Bibleman*

 

*Q:* What was *your* favorite *Halloween* *costume*?

Mine was when I dressed up as *Bibleman*.

That was five years ago.

Bible man is a rather *cheesy*, overly *commercial* Christian action hero.

As you may have guessed I’m *not* a *big* *fan*.

However, I had been given a Bibleman *cape* and *mask*, along with some *t-shirts* and I am also *cheap*.

So I decide to do a bit of a *parody* on Bibleman.

My *back* *story* was the Bible man couldn’t make it so I was his *half*-*baked* *fill*-*in*.

I put on *long*-*johns*, a *swim* suit, and grabbed the *smallest* Bibleman t-shirt – a *child* *small*.

I washed it in *hot* *water* to make it shrink.

It wasn’t small enough, so I *hemmed* it.

I *broke* a *rib* *squeezing* into it, but it had the desired effect – about four inches of my *hairy* *belly* hung out the front.

Walking around with my cape and mask, I was a *sight* to *behold*.

The Children’s Church director still *hasn’t* *forgiven* me.

*Family Fun or devil’s holiday?*

 

*Q:* If you grew up in a *Christian* *home*, what was your family’s take on Halloween?

Innocent *fun* or the *devil’s* *holiday*?

For us I think it was about an *80~/20 mix*.

It was mostly fun, but there was something a *little* *scary* about it.

We had to carefully *examine* all of our candy and throw out anything that wasn’t *prepackaged*, because *everyone* knew *Satanists* were *poisoning* candy and putting *razor* *blades* in apples.

·         The *upside* was that I didn’t have to keep any of the *fruit*.

Halloween is easily the most *controversial* holiday among Christians.

I wanted to know if it is *okay* for me to *celebrate* Halloween, so went to our *highest* *authority*: The *internet*.

So I Googled “Is Halloween Evil,” and found that *overwhelmingly*, the answer is “*yes*.”

My favorite site was “yourgoingtohell.com”

The best part was that “You’re” was *misspelled*.

Christians have developed a *bad* *reputation* when it comes to Halloween – we’re first rate *party*-*poopers*.

One of my favorite *King* of the *Hill* episodes gives a *painfully* *accurate* portrayal.

If you know the series at all, you know that *Hank* has a hard time *relating* to his son *Bobby*, but *Halloween* was one thing that they had, until a *fundamentalist* Chri*s*tian *lady* get Halloween *canceled* at the school and convinces Bobby that it is *Satan’s* holiday and *anyone* who celebrates it is going to *hell*.

·         The climax of the episode is Hank telling her that Halloween isn’t about *demons* and *evil*, it’s about *having* *fun* with Bobby.

·         Of course he throws a couple of “I tell you what’s” in.

*A good question*

 

But this stereotype *isn’t* as *true* as it used to be.

Christians seem to be getting *less* *condemning* of Halloween.

Most articles in “Christianity Today” articles encourage a *balanced* *approach* of letting your kids have *fun* without *embracing* the *darker* *side*.

To me, that’s good news, because I believe that Christians should look for *productive* ways to *interact* with their *culture*, rather than being *reactionary* and *condemning*.

At the same time, I need to guard *myself* against a *condemning* attitude.

Mine is *snobbery* towards those that say Halloween’s *pure* *evil* and Christians should have *nothing* to do with it.

The fact is, they are asking a really *good* *question*, one that we must ask *ourselves*, rather than *blindly* *adopting* the world’s perspective.

How are the *children* of the *light* supposed to *relate* to this *dark* *world* we live in?

 

·         And that question, especially as it *relates* to *Halloween*, is our topic today.

*Citizens of another world *

 

To be a Christian means to be a *citizen* of *another* *world*.

In the book of Philippians, Paul says that we are *citizens* of *heaven*.

We should *never* feel *completely* at *home* here.

You probably all know how the Lord’s prayer goes:

 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

/Matthew 6:9-10 NIV/ 

 

We *want* God’s will to be done – we want an end to *sin* and *pain*, *death* and *destruction*, yet a glance at the newspaper tells us it ain’t so.

As Christians, we are citizens of *heaven*, where God’s will *is* done, but we live on *earth* where it *is* *not*.

·         So again, how do we live as *children* of God in a *sinful* world?

I read an *articles* year ago that explained in very well.

There’s basically three views, *two* *wrong* and *one* *right*.

Each of them is *compared* to living in different *Biblical* *place*.

1)  Samaria: In the world and of the world

 

Samaria was inhabited by *Jews* who *intermarried* with *pagans* and *compromised* their *faith*.

Likewise, many Christian are so *engrossed* in this world that it’s hard to *tell* them *apart*.

·         On an average day, they’ll have the same *bad* *attitudes*, *dishonesty*, and *selfishness* as the non-Christians around them

 

 

2)  Jerusalem: Not in the world nor of the world

 

Jerusalem was the *capital* of Israel, where Jews lived *separate* from *pagans* around them.

Many Christians are so *distinct* from the world that they *can’t* *effectively* *relate* to it.

·         These are the *Ned* *Flanders* – they might be *nice* people, but you don’t even *understand* half what they say!

·         *I’ve* spent far *too* *much* time in Jerusalem.

3)  Babylon: In the world, not of the world

 

In the Bible, the Jews were exiled to Babylon.

God told them to *settle* *down* there and *seek* the *prosperity* of that land, even though it *wasn’t* their *home*.

Likewise, I believe that we as Christians are *called* to “live in *Babylon*.”

Jesus said he *didn’t* want to take us *out* of this world.

We live here and have the *power* to bring *good*.

*Interpret, engage, and transform*

 

Our mission statement calls us:

 

To exist as an *authentic* Christian *community* that *interprets*, *engages*, and *transforms* our *culture* in Skagit Valley through a genuine expression of the *gospel* of Christ.

·         In order to be *expressions* of the *Gospel* and *example* of *Christ*, we first have to *interpret*.

Interpretation is a *two* *way* act, from one language to another.

*We* are the *interpreters*; we speak the language of *earth* and the language of *heaven*.

·         Interpretation means that we *seek* to *understand* our culture, and then *help* *them* understand *Christ*.

As we interpret, we must also *engage* – *connect* and *relate* to our culture in ways that are *meaningful* to *them*.

It’s just like the Apostle Paul talking to the *Greek* *philosophers*.

He quoted the *pagan* writers and found *points* of *contact*.

·         We engage our culture by finding *points* of *contact* with them, and *Halloween* gives us another point of contact.

Only *after* we’ve *interpreted* and *engaged* our culture, can we *effectively* *transform* it – bringing those around us to the *love*, *hope*, and *healing* that can *only* be found in *Christ*.

*Back to Halloween *

 

So back to the question: How do we, as the children of light relate to this dark world?

We remember that we *living* in *Babylon*, never forgetting that we *don’t* *belong* here, but all the while *seeking* to *transform* our culture through *interpretation* and *engagement*.

·         And Halloween is as an opportunity to *interpret*, *engage*, and *transform*.

But, the argument goes, if Halloween is *truly* *evil*, shouldn’t God-fearing Christians *avoid* it *completely*?

As Paul said:

 

Test everything.

Hold on to the good.

Avoid every kind of evil.

/1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NIV/

 

And they have a point.

If Halloween is *truly* *evil*, with no potential for good, if it is “Satan’s holiday,”, then it *should* *not* be celebrated by Christians.

·         But that is a *big* “if.”