Costumes, Fun-Size Candy, and...God?

Halloween is behind us and we are fast approaching the next major holiday on the calendar, Thanksgiving. Before we totally trade in our bags of fun-size candy bars (by the way, never understood what was "fun" about eating a tiny candy bar, aren't the King Size ones more "fun?") and pumpkins though, I have been thinking about the idea of dressing up in costumes - the concept that so marks the most recent holiday of Halloween.

It's great.

The idea of dressing up like another person, or an animal, or a food, character, etc. The thought, money and time that can go into costumes is funny. And of course, that is what makes Halloween legendary, its what makes it arguably the most unique holiday. For a night, you can let loose, be whoever you want to be, fraternize with strangers AND get free candy - what's not to love? Granted, this year I was that guy who didn't dress up in a crowd of people who did, but that was simply for practical reasons - I love a good costume as much as the next guy.

But it is this idea of dressing up that I think resonates.

There are crazy costumes that we simply want others to approve of by laughing at, but then there are also costumes that while still humorous (there's always something a little comical about anyone dressed up) also have a hint of seriousness to them - maybe we dress up like someone or something we hope to be. When you're a kid you dress like a superhero because deep down, you want to be that heroic figure.

This is our nature.

We long for approval, we long to be more than we really are, we long to be that which we're not, we long to change. We long to cover up ourselves with something that people will see and upon seeing it, approve of. Deep down, we all can fear simply being ourselves.

And Halloween works because for a night, there are no restraints, no limits - you can be whatever you can conjure up and for that night be identified as that thing or person. And in that way, its liberating - socially, as we can laugh and be with each other, and psychologically as we're free for a time to step out of ourselves and all of the things we don't like about us and for a moment, change.

In a way, Halloween reminds us of the Gospel.

We all stand on our own, full of misgivings, full of doubts and fears, full of things about us that we're self-conscious of, full of stuff we would love to change but can't, full of wrong things and full of wrong things done to us and we long for something to put on that will cover us. And change us. And makes us that which we long to be but on our own can't be.

All humanity stands on earth in this manner, before God, and so he sends Christ to die and rise, making peace with God on our behalf. Why? So that we can put Him on, as the Bible says, "be clothed in his righteousness." We put on Christ and just like the lady at the front door, doesn't see the little kid but she sees Superman or a Princess, God looks at us and sees Christ. But unlike the costume, which can be taken on and off, in Christ we are truly changed. Slowly and sometimes painfully, but truly changed to become that which we long to be but on our own can never be.

Truly free to be ourselves, with all of our imperfections, all of our misgivings and yet know that God looks down and says, "it's allright." It's allright, because of Christ.