Dress Up as a Christian

I’ve had a few over the years. I remember as a kid dressing up as a Pittsburgh Steelers football player (this was back in the era of Mean Joe Greene and Terry Bradshaw). Not long after college, I donned my Concert Choir tuxedo with a sign around my neck that said “I’m sorry” and I went as a “formal apology.” I’ve also taped Smarties candies to my jeans and gone as “Smarty Pants.” But I digress.

This past Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a delightful Fall Festival, which we moved indoors into the Crest Center because of the wet weather. There were so many creative trunks/tables, including a Sugar Plum Candyland, a Jurassic Park, and the Peanuts’ Great Pumpkin patch. We had at least twelve pots of chili, ranging from traditional to white chicken to vegetarian to a pumpkin-favored one! We had all sorts of games and prizes. The Crest band rocked out to “The Monster Mash” and “Ghostbusters.” And the costumes! Tracy dressed up as a frog. David Robertson was Rowlf from the Muppets. There were Buzz Lightyears of assorted sizes. Tinkerbells. Batmen (including one dad dressed up as Alfred the Butler). And a cadre of KPop Demon Hunters from the huge Netflix movie!

The tradition of dressing up for Halloween goes back to ancient Celtic superstitions about warding off evil spirits at the turn of the seasons. Around the 11th century, the church sought to Christianize these pagan practices in its tradition of All Hallows’ Eve, which is the day before All Hallows Day, or what we call All Saints Day, November 1. All Saints Day is essentially the church’s version of Memorial Day, when we commemorate the lives of those who died in faith in the past year and joined the Church Triumphant. This coming Sunday, November 2, in both of our worship services, we will lift up the names of those church members and former staff members who have joined the “communion of saints.”

The Apostle Paul offered some suggestions about how we might dress up, not just for one day, but for all time. “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,” he wrote to the church in Colossae, “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col 3:12-14). Long ago Paul caught on that cosplay can actually help form Christian character.

So if you’re not sure what you want to dress up as for Halloween this year—or even if you have a costume in mind—we can always, all of us, dress up as a Christian.