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Every year, around this time, someone asks me the same question: “Pastor, is it really appropriate for Christians to participate in what looks like a celebration of evil—Halloween?” Because I hear it so often, I find myself sending out this same blog post each year as a reminder of where Halloween came from and why Christians can embrace it with confidence.

The word “hallow” means holy, and the word “een” means eve or evening. So Halloween—All Hallow’s Eve or Holy Evening—is simply the night before All Saints’ Day, when Christians remember the faithful who lived bold and righteous lives, often at great cost. Halloween began as part of the Church’s rhythm of faith, not as a rejection of it.

Rev. Mary Nelson Keithahn, a pastor in the United Church of Christ, has written beautifully about these origins. She explains that in the Middle Ages, people were deeply aware of their vulnerability in the vast universe. October 31 was the last day of the year on the pagan calendar, a time when fears of demons and the return of the dead loomed large. To ward off evil, they lit bonfires, carried candles in hollowed-out turnips or squash, and wore masks to confuse the spirits.

But Christians in that era had a different outlook. Believing in the resurrection of Christ, they no longer feared death. Instead of cowering, they mocked it. They dressed in costumes that caricatured death and evil—because they knew God was with them, granting the power to overcome all darkness. Children went door to door, not to demand candy, but to offer prayers for the dead in exchange for small breads called Soul Cakes. The following day, they gathered for worship on All Saints’ Day, lifting their hearts to God in celebration of eternal life.

As Rev. Keithahn concludes, “Forbidding Christians to celebrate Halloween denies us a chance to practice our faith that the goodness and power of God’s love will always triumph over evil in the end.”

I agree. Halloween, when rightly understood, isn’t about glorifying evil—it’s about mocking it. It’s about defanging death and celebrating our confidence that God’s love in Christ is stronger than any power of darkness. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So this Halloween, when the costumes come out and the streets fill with laughter, remember this: Christians have always had good reason to join in—not to celebrate fear, but to proclaim that fear has no hold on us. Death has lost its sting. Evil will not have the final word.

Halloween gives us the chance to teach our children and remind ourselves that God’s light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.   See you Sunday!

Pastor Tracy