There is one essential ingredient to gospel expansion that often seems neglected—hospitality. The culture in which God sovereignly chose to give rise to the Scriptures, and to which Jesus Himself was born, was not individualistic but communal. Stemming from the Greek word philoxenia, hospitality literally means “love of the stranger.” In biblical times, Jesus and His disciples often relied upon the hospitality of others as they traveled on foot from town to town proclaiming and demonstrating the good news of the kingdom. Spiritual formation author Ruth Haley Barton gives a helpful contextualization of hospitality when she writes, “Hospitality is not about impressing others with well decorated homes or gourmet cooking. It’s about loving our neighbor in the same way God has loved us. It’s about incarnating the welcoming heart of God for the world.”

“Hospitality is not about impressing others with well decorated homes or gourmet cooking. It’s about loving our neighbor in the same way God has loved us. It’s about incarnating the welcoming heart of God for the world.” – Ruth Haley Barton

While hospitality is certainly a call for every Christ-follower in all seasons, I believe it provides a specific application for how Christians can engage in cultural holidays such as Halloween. Here are at least four ways we can be hospitable this October 31st and beyond.

Be Prayerful

Prayer is the lifeblood of every Christian. Before we can go horizontal in showing hospitality, we must first go vertical and remember how God Himself has been hospitable to us. Jesus left heaven and became like us so that we can be where He is. Jesus came and made His home among us (John 1:14) and would later say in John 14:2-3, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” These verses are not speaking of some heavenly mansion Jesus is constructing; rather, He is referring to how He had consecrated Himself to go to the cross so that we could be brought back home. Tim Keller, in his book The Prodigal God, describes the essence of hospitality when he explains,

“Jesus came to bring the human race home. Therefore he did not come in strength, but in weakness. He came and experienced the exile that we deserved. He was expelled from the presence of the Father, he was thrust into darkness, the uttermost despair of spiritual alienation—in our place. He took upon himself the full curse of human rebellion, cosmic homelessness, so that we could be welcomed into our true home.”  

As we prayerfully remember how Jesus has shown us hospitality—loving us from rebellious enemies and strangers to beloved sons and daughters of God—His heart of hospitality toward us can become our heart toward others.

As we prayerfully remember how Jesus has shown us hospitality—loving us from rebellious enemies and strangers to beloved sons and daughters of God—His heart of hospitality toward us can become our heart toward others.

It’s Hospitable to Be Present

Halloween is perhaps the only day of the year that your neighbors (even though they might still be strangers) intentionally come over to your house without a specific invitation! Don’t hide in the dark—use this opportunity to be salt and light, or as Eugene Peterson put it, the color and flavor of God’s kingdom.

There are three ways we can engage with a cultural holiday like Halloween. We can reject it, receive it, or redeem it. We can be a redeeming presence on a day that often manifests a lot of carnality and darkness. This is a prime opportunity to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). So whether you trick or treat, trunk or treat, opt for a fall festival, or even commemorate Reformation Day, show up in the presence of others and be a hospitable kingdom representative.

It’s Hospitable to Be Loving

No matter where your personal convictions fall regarding Halloween, Christians have and likely always will differ on what participation or non-participation looks like. In the realm of Christian thinking and living, Halloween falls into the theological category of the adiaphora, or matters of indifference, which is based upon the conscience versus an explicit biblical command. While there are definitely commands in Scripture that would guide how one would engage with Halloween, there are no specific scriptural prohibitions against it as a modern cultural holiday. Yet one key Scripture is Romans 12:9-10, where the Apostle Paul strings together marks of true Christianity:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

I have found it to be wise to allow sincere love to hold the tension between grace and truth. Is it true that Halloween has questionable pagan roots and clearly some present-day evil expressions? I would say an emphatic yes. Yet are there ways for Christians today to participate while still remaining true to biblical standards, with a clear conscience? I would also say, yes! So in matters of difference, love keeps us from swinging the pendulum from overemphasizing grace to the side of license, and from overemphasizing truth to the side of legalism. Instead, sincere love holds both in balance by centering us within the boundaries of holiness. In this space we can graciously engage with those with whom we disagree while still remaining faithful to the truth.

I have found it to be wise to allow sincere love to hold the tension between grace and truth.

It’s Hospitable to Be Generous

Lastly, being hospitable often looks like being generous. We can be generous with our time in our presence with others, but we can also be generous in providing tangible “sustenance.” In other words, buy candy—and buy A LOT of it! Be known for the house in the neighborhood that gives out FULL-SIZED candy bars. While there is obviously nothing inherently spiritual about the size of the candy bars you may choose to pass out, this is not a time to be stingy, but to stand out. It may perhaps provide a greater opportunity to strike up a conversation with a new stranger who could then become a new neighbor and even friend.

I’ve even heard of those who have opened up their garage, put out space heaters, tables, snacks, and hot cocoa to serve as an oasis for weary parents chaperoning their chaotic trick-or-treaters. But if you are seeking God’s heart, He will lead you to a creative and personal way to be generously hospitable.

If you are seeking God’s heart, He will lead you to a creative and personal way to be generously hospitable.

I hope you will find these principles of being prayerful, present, loving, and generous helpful in showing hospitality—not only on this Halloween but all year long.

Copyright © 2023 Justin Jeppesen. All rights reserved.