Martin Luther, Santa and Halloween
After the Halloween sermon from September 26th (see the website tab “Get Connected” to hear that sermon), I was reminded that Martin Luther posted his famous 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenburg on October 31, 1517 because all Christians were obligated to attend church the following day on All Saints Day. Luther knew that he would have a captive audience, and the posting of his 95 Theses marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation of which we at Rock Valley Chapel are grateful heirs.
So, for those of us who cherish our Reformation history and thank God for a bold return to the theological centrality of Paul’s remarkable teaching on Justification by Faith, All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween) is also a time to reflect on God’s providential work from the Reformation to today.
I also thought further about the danger of Halloween versus the danger of “playing Santa Claus” with our children. What is more potentially harmful, dressing up in costumes or allowing our children to think that Santa Claus is real?
Each family will practice these traditions differently, and as I have preached, parents have the final say. From the very beginning we have shared the truth about Santa Claus with our children for two very important reasons.
First, Saint Nicholas was a real person who cared deeply for the poor, was exceptionally gracious in his giving and suffered for his faith. That historical person has been lost in the culture’s adaptation of “jolly ole saint Nicholas.”
Second, we have sought to establish a high level of believability with our children so that they could believe what we say. In other words, we have not wanted to risk inferring that Santa, or the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy are “real” because that might jeopardize our credibility to declare the historical fact of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Now, I grew up thinking that Santa was real for a while, and the Lord still chose to reach down and transform my heart. So, “playing Santa” will not necessarily serve as an obstacle to our children’s belief structure. At the same time, we should take care to protect our children from anything that may promote deception in their belief structures.