What Martin Luther and the Reformation have to do with Halloween.
It's so cool that October 31 is a holiday for us (in Germany) - right? The calendar says it's Reformation Day, but why do those two days always come together? Coincidence, I don't think. Let's put on our detective hats and take our magnifying glasses to sift through the evidence.
Evidence #1: Luther walked up and down the cobbled
streets of Wittenberg. He had spent countless hours writing 95 smart,
easy-to-understand, maybe a little too harsh, but much needed theses. He spent
hours checking spelling and grammar to make sure those who would read them
could understand. His motivation was reason. He wanted people to be reasonable.
Only the wise would be reasonable and he wanted everyone to be wise. He found
the perfect place for his publication - on the door of the castle church.
Notices were often posted there with the church program and at that time a lot
of people went there. This would be perfect. The next day they would come to
All Saints' Day at All Saints' Church and see it.
Evidence #2: Nobody likes to forget the people they love,
do they? The early Christians were a small minority. Insignificant. They were
persecuted and even killed by kings like Nero. Some people spend the first
Sunday after Easter remembering those they lost. They reflect on their love for
others. 500 years after Jesus lived on earth and the Catholic Church gained
prominence, it decided to observe the first of November as a day of remembrance
for its departed loved ones
Evidence #3: How are birthdays celebrated in your family?
Maybe you celebrate your birthday at home by smearing cake on your face, or
your friend celebrates her birthday by wearing an all-white dress? Your
celebrations may sound strange to some friends, right? Sometimes you recreate
something awesome you saw at your friends birthday and incorporate it into your
birthday? In the same way, traditions change over time. People had a strange
way of celebrating All Saints' Day. They laid out relics of the saints,
sometimes even clothes half eaten by moths, or even the skeleton! Creepy, isn't
it?
The AHA moment: Most people could not read the Latin Bible
and had no idea what God was really like. The Bible says that Jesus conquered
death. Like a superhero, but much more than Spider-Man or Hulk. Jesus did
something no one had ever done before. Jesus didn't fight evil people, he
fought the worst thing in the world. This thing had made it impossible for
people to get close to God. This thing is called sin. The punishment for people
who sinned was death. The next day, All Saints Day, Luther was finally going to
bring the truth to light. Luther knew
that some church people were falsely promising people that their deceased loved
ones could go to heaven if they paid a donation to the church. He wrote down
the words from the Bible that confirmed this and nailed them to the door!
This was the beginning of the
Reformation. The Latin Bible was translated into German. People were able to read the Bible. It said
that all people had hearts that did not like God, but God loves us so much that
He sent Jesus to take the punishment that evil people who did not love God
deserved. Amazing! And Jesus promised eternal life in heaven to all who would
put away their sins and come to him in faith - and for free, as a gift. Luther
wanted people to know the truth. They should know that the way to God is not
through money or fame, but through Jesus. Jesus' friends are not afraid of
dying - they even made fun of death, saying in the Bible, "Hey death,
where's your sting? Hey grave, where's your victory?" They weren't afraid
of death anymore, and we don't have to be if we belong to Jesus. AHA! By the
way, Jesus also defeated Satan. AHA! Satan and his servants are still afraid of
Jesus today. If you are ever afraid or in danger, you can always ask Jesus for
help. By the way, the word "Halloween" is made up of the English
words "Hallow" and "Eve", with "Hallow" meaning
saints and "Eve" meaning evening. AHA! Isn't it amazing how we forget
something, and then when we remember it again, it suddenly feels fresh and new.
Even though Halloween is celebrated differently today, there is a real truth
behind it - it shows that there is life after death and that those who love and
believe in God will have eternal life.
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