Holy, Hallowed and Halloween

Hallow.  It isn’t a word commonly used today.  When we repeat the model prayer of Jesus, we say, “Hallowed be Thy name” (Matt. 6:9). More often, the word is associated with the last day of October, when we in the United States refer to Halloween, which means “all Hallow’s Eve.”

The Bible word is actually a form of the word for “sanctify,” “set apart,” or “holy.”  In the Old Testament, the word “hallowed” appears 13 times to speak of God’s name, God’s Sabbath, or God’s people (Lev 22:32, Ex 20:11, Ezek 20:41).

God’s name is holy. Hallowed. Reverend.  His name is not to be used in vain.  Don’t use it as an exclamation mark, a shock, or a surprise, like OMG!

God also has a set-apart day.  It’s the first day of the week.  We call it Sunday. In our day, it’s easy to forget that Sunday belongs to God, not the NFL!   It is a sanctified day.  A day of worship.  A day of remembrance.  A day of spiritual fellowship.  Hallowed.

And God’s people are to be sanctified, set apart, and dedicated to Him.  Christians are called saints. Holy.  And yes, hallowed.

In the New Testament, the word translated “hallowed” appears 28 times and is rendered “sanctify,” “sanctified,” and “holy.” Paul admonished Timothy to be a vessel sanctified and useful for God by pursuing “righteousness, faith, love, [and] peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” and by avoiding “foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife” (2. 2:21-23).

The Corinthian Christians, some of whom were previously fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals, and thieves, were “sanctified,” “washed,” and “cleansed.”  They had now become vessels of holiness instead of containers of corruption.  Their lives were set apart.

Christians do not hallow Halloween in a religious sense. It is a secular day when children wear costumes, carry bags from door to door, and beg for candy.  But thinking of these little goblins scarfing down their sweet treats can remind us to ask ourselves, “What is filling the vessel of my life?”

Am I drinking at a bitter fountain that leads to foolish disputes, discord, and division?  Or am I imbibing at the sweet stream  that  yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness, faith, and love?”  Am I filling my soul with the husks of carnality, or the substance of spirituality?  Am I feeding upon the bread of life?  Or am I like Esau trading my birthright for a mess of pottage that fails to satisfy the soul?

In a culture that often values Halloween more than holiness, may we hallow our Lord, set apart His day, and keep our own vessel holy, sanctified, and pure.

—Ken Weliever, The Preacherman