Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Craft – Luminaries

Make tea light luminaries with mason jars, mod podge, and tissue paper.

Supplies:

One mason jar per participant

One paint brush per participant

Tissue paper (fall colors suggested) cut into squares or other shapes.

Small container (medicine cup size) of Mod Podge for each participant

One tea light per participant

Black paint/sharpie (optional)

Directions can be found at https://www.sandiegofamily.com/for-the-kids/crafts-for-kids/fall-mason-jar-luminary).

Paint the words “Let your light shine” in black paint or sharpies directly on the glass before adding the tissue paper so that when the light is placed in the luminary the words showed through the glass.

Decorations

On each table place small pumpkins with tea lights and a placard with the verse Matthew 5:14-16 on it.

Program Idea

This time of year can be a tricky for many Christians. We want to honor the Lord with how we celebrate. Many Christians have a difficult time with Halloween because everywhere you look you can find cultural associations with Satan and other scary things that are not of Christ. You have the choice to avoid and “sit out” this holiday. An alternate idea is to hold a “Light Party” or a “Trunk or Treat” party at the church instead of handing out candy at your home. Use this time as an opportunity to amplify the love of Jesus to your neighbors. Jesus used common cultural things to point to the Father in heaven and we can do the same.

Demonstrate positivity, kindness, love, and generosity as you greet those who are trick or treaters. You could:

– Have a warming station with cocoa and coffee.

-Be excited when kids and parents show up at your door.

-Ask children and teens about their costumes and what they like about it.

-Tell them “I’m praying God keeps you all safe tonight! Have a great time!” People rarely remember the words you say, but they always remember how you made them feel.

– Don’t skimp on good candy. Kids remember who gives out what!

– Give out reflective balloons for the kids to wear on their wrists.

– For early trick or treaters set up a pumpkin decorating station in your yard with paints and foam stickers. They can take it with them or decorate your yard with them.

-To 99% of people Halloween is simply about having fun. Kids and adults alike get very excited about planning their costumes and put a lot of effort into them. Think about things that you can do to increase fun, especially for children.

Be a good neighbor by:

-Go door to door before Halloween and offer reflective tape that can be attached to any costume.

-Consider helping the elderly or sick by buying candy for them or offering to help them answer the door so that they can take part.

-Offer to take a child with your family whose parent works or cannot take part in trick or treating.

– Invite trick or treaters to an event or Sunday service at the corps.

For Devotional

One medium pumpkin (Hollowed out but with the lid intact and no carvings)

Screwdriver

LED light

Glow sticks (at least one per participant)

Rope

Let Your Light Shine

In Jesus’ most famous speech detailed in Matthew 5 He tells believers how they are supposed to interact with the world around them using everyday objects—a hill, a bowl, and a stand. The main point of what Jesus is saying is that for something to be useful it cannot be hidden away. When you need to light up a room you don’t hide the light under a bowl, but instead put it on a stand so its light can shine brighter. Let’s explore this a little more with an object that is familiar this time of year-—a pumpkin.

This pumpkin represents the world. God has a beautiful plan for it and all that live on it. We will use this little light to represent that Hope. (Place the light into pumpkin turned it on. Put the lid back in place.)

Let’s turn out the lights for a moment and see what impact it has on the darkness. Nothing happened, did it? That’s because our pumpkin world has a thick shell of sin that is keeping the light of God’s hope from coming to the surface. That’s how things were for our world before Jesus entered into it. In John 8:12 Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Let’s use Jesus’ example and make a mark on our pumpkin world. (Take the screwdriver and make a hole about dime sized.) Again, we are going to turn out the light and see what happens. (Turn out the light and show the hole where the light is shining through.)

This time we can see the hope of God shining through. When Jesus came and died for our sins, He broke through the wall so that God’s hope and promise could be with His people and to show them that through Him there was a way out of the darkness. We are called to follow Christ’s example. Let’s see what happens when we all let Jesus cut through our sin. (Make holes all over the pumpkin.)

Now let’s see what it looks like. (Turn out the lights.) It is starting to light up this room! (Take the pumpkin top off and make two holes in the sides and place the rope through- this should enable you to hold it up high like a disco ball) Look at all this hope shining through. What was in darkness has turned into a glorious party. I want to take this one step further. One of the greatest blessings is that we are all different, with different gifts, talents, and dreams that God wants to use to make our world brighter for Him. If you are a Christian, He has broken your wall of sin that separated you from Him. Now you can allow the work of the Holy Spirit to brighten up the unique person that He made you to be. I want you to take your glowstick and add it into the pumpkin and stick it into any of the holes that were made. This is the unique body of Christ who uses all kinds of different people to brighten up even the darkest places.

Let’s pray together:

Lord, I thank you for reminding us not to hide the hope that You have given us from the world. Help us to use the gifts You have given us to shine bright in a dark world. Show us the places that need hope and help us to break the barriers of sin that keep us from it. Give us courage to speak up for what is right and to not allow our lights to be hidden away. Amen.