Happy Halloween (Not!)

One of the things that make me very sad each year is the continuing growth and commercialisation of Halloween.  Billed as a fun time by businesses that see a market opportunity to be exploited youngsters (and adults) are encouraged to dress up in inappropriate costumes designed to scare people.  One large store for instance is selling chain saws with what purports to be dripping blood.  How amusing to open your door to see a 6 year old carrying that.  Have we really taken leave of our senses?  Others use this as an opportunity to justify vandalism and fear as eggs and flour are thrown at houses and in some places people (and not just old people) are terrorised.

I make it plain where I stand.  No Christian has any business encouraging anything to do with Halloween and society would be better off if it avoided it.

I want you to imagine a scenario.  You hear a knock at the door and open it.  Outside you see two small children with a beaming parent (after all letting children go door to door in the dark is ridiculous). One young child is dressed as Adolf Hitler and has swastikas on their arm.  The other is dressed as an Islamic State fighter carrying an IS flag.  I rather suspect that many people would think not only is this bad taste but celebrating such evil is highly inappropriate to say the least.  I would agree.  Yet we encourage children to dress as witches and the Devil and the like, deliberately encouraging dressing up as something that represents far greater evil.

I think we have our values and standards back to front in this country.

I am pleased that within Portland Methodist Circuit we will hold a Light Party on 31st October (see poster here) where we will emphasise good things and still have fun.  A warm invitation to come along.  Details on the poster.

For those who want to know more about the worrying side of Halloween please see these two links
http://www.mirror.co.uk/opinion/news-opinion/reverend-j-john-six-reasons-2486777
https://yourspiritualquest.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/ex-satanist-gina-marisas-views-on-halloween/

What's in a Name?

So - a very short blog.  The title up to now of my Blog has been Sabbatical 2014.  This was because it was based on my Sabbatical leave earlier this year.  Now the Sabbatical is over and the title is not really relevant so a new title as above.  What's in a name?  Well quite a lot really, particularly if it is misleading!!!!  So a new start and an opportunity to be more general in my postings - when I have the time!

Served up on a Plate

The Olympic Rings carved in stone on Portland in Dorset

For those who are interested here is another little thing that came out of my Sabbatical - a reflection piece for Churches Together in England.

You can access the article via CTE Served up on a Plate

Maybe there are mission opportunities served up on a plate in your area.  Perhaps individuals and churches respond to these - if so Praise God.  Perhaps sometimes they do not.  It is tempting to allow the routine of church life and our church programmes to dictate what we do.  In fact we should be guided by the Spirit.

Something to think on.

God Bless.