The 31st of Christianity

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

-Pharrell Williams

October 31st is one of the most anticipated holidays. It is widely recognized as Halloween, a day for wearing your costume of the year, trick-or-treating, parties, and the gathering of people for celebration. In the church, some denominations refrain from celebrating the holiday because it is considered to be a pagan tradition based on its history. So, to keep the young in tune with the church (be in the world but not of it), trunk-or-treat and church fall festivals are coordinated and planned so the babies do not miss out, and plus it offers a safer way to participate. So we plan it, and in a way, we even invite the costumes because it’s fun. It’s harmless. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves.

What is Halloween?

The origin of Halloween was an ancient Celtic festival in Samhain. This celebration marked the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of winter. The Celts, who lived in what is now modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and France, believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin, allowing spirits to roam the earth. So the custom was to light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts and evil spirits.

Today, the symbolism of costumes is much broader. A superhero costume might symbolize feeling powerful, a funny costume could represent being the group’s entertainer, and a scary costume could mean confronting a fear, according to WHNT.com. But there’s a duality to it; the costume represents both the wearer and the character. As the Guardian notes, “it lets you step into someone else, or something else, even if just for a night.”

Modern day

The festivities of Halloween have passed until next year, but for the church, we celebrate the core of this holiday every day. We show up to weekly worship, Bible study, small groups, church conferences, and convocations in costume.

And I don’t mean the literal costume, although, let’s be honest, some folks in the church really do show up with witchy attitudes and ghost-like disappearances when it’s time to actually serve, but I’m talking about sheep’s clothing.

We come dressed as holier than thou.
We come dressed as “blessed and highly favored.”
We come dressed as “too anointed to be disappointed.”
We come dressed as “I’ve been anointed to be appointed.”

It’s not fabric. It’s not face paint. It’s not even a physical mask.
But that doesn’t change the truth: it’s still a costume.

God looks at character, not costume

We’ve knit and sewn our costumes to look prim and polished, narrating the lie that it is well within our homes, our thoughts, hearts, and community. We’ve memorized and applied the verse in 1 Samuel 16:7, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The prophet Samuel made the mistake of thinking that one of the men standing before him would surely be the next king. I guess, like some of us, he based it on stature, physique, charisma, and network. But God had to remind Samuel, because God knows how easily we mistake the outer layer for the real thing. We’re quick to go with the articulate one, the good presenter. We’re quick to judge and call others out while we’re the ones wearing the costume, hiding behind the lies we tell ourselves and others.

Jesus called the Pharisees out for their hypocrisy in Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Let’s take a closer look in the mirror. On October 31st every year, the costumes are worn and most people donate them or hang them up, or what have you, because the holiday is over. But what about us? Do we dry clean ours? Do we have multiple versions? Do we pull out a different one for church, home, work, ministry?

Before You Point a Finger

As you're reading this, I pray you’re not thinking of your fellow brother or sister who you believe is the costume-wearing one. We like to call them “fake” or “phony as hell.” Or maybe you’re thinking about the ones in the pulpit.

Y’all remember Sister Miriam? Moses’s big sister. Numbers 12 tells us she had a bone to pick with Moses. Miriam was salty about the Cushite woman he married and salty about his relationship with God. She thought she deserved what Moses had. Just a few chapters earlier, she was praising and dancing like everything was well… yet internally she wrestled with jealousy, pride, and insecurity. Isn’t that us sometimes?

So, before we point our fingers and start making a list of who this is for: the costumes we hide behind are worn by us all. Leaders and laypeople. Pulpit and pew. Greeters, ushers, choir members, first-timers, and long-timers.

This is a heart issue.
A church-wide issue.
A believer's issue.

Can I Get a Witness?

We could go on and on listing the metaphorical costumes and masks. But that’s not the goal of this reflection. And it’s not to say I hate the church. I don’t. I’m just a believer who thinks there is a better way to honor God. To honor our brethren. To honor the resurrection that birthed the Church and what it should represent.

This is a call to action to look in the mirror and ask: What am I hiding from? Who am I without the mask and the costume?

Let us lay down our year-round costume.
Let us embrace the ones who already have.
Let’s not label them rebellious or “disturbing the peace.”

And before you come for me, I’ll ask what Paul asked:
“Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16)

I hope we are courageous enough to lay it down — the masks, the costumes, and face the God who loves you and calls you Beloved. With grace and mercy that is freely given, not performed.

Benediction

May the Lord give us the courage to take off every mask,
the humility to see our hearts clearly, and the grace to walk in truth.

May we be people who choose honesty over image, substance over performance, and love over fear. And as we lay down every costume, may we rise as the beloved ones God already knows us to be.

Let the church say amen.
And if you can’t say amen… maybe your mask is glued on.
If you can’t say amen… maybe the costume’s too tight.
If you can’t say amen… maybe you’re still in dress rehearsal.
If you can’t say amen… maybe the costume fits a little too well.

Go in grace.