For one night out of the year, Christians who normally live out “This little light of mine” loud and proud decide to hide — to turn off the porch lights, pull down the blinds, and retreat while the rest of the world walks the streets. But what if Halloween isn’t a night to hide, but a night to shine?

Jesus already conquered the darkness. The cross wasn’t a partial victory; it was complete. So maybe October 31 isn’t the devil’s day at all — maybe it’s another chance for God’s people to step into the night with open doors, kind smiles, and lights blazing. Because for those Christ has given the victory, there’s no day too haunted, no night too dark, and no tradition too ugly to be redeemed.

We often read the story of the Prodigal Son and see ourselves in the runaway. But what if we’re more like the older brother — standing outside the party, arms crossed, wondering why grace feels so unfair? In this reflection, I step into his shoes to wrestle with a Father who welcomes without condition and forgives without repayment. Because grace, when it’s real, always feels a little reckless… and that’s exactly what makes it so beautiful.

We tend to think boldness means preaching hard truth, drawing lines, and “laying down the law.” But maybe the boldest thing we can do is preach grace — the kind of grace that levels the playing field and offends our pride. Grace doesn’t leave room for ladders to climb, platforms to stand on, or people to impress. It leaves only forgiven people pointing other forgiven people to the Bread of Life. In a world addicted to earning and proving, that’s the message that will make people really, really mad — and it’s the one we can’t afford to stop preaching.

Have you ever been misunderstood? Ostracized? Lied about? Villainized? If you have, you know it’s one of the most sobering feelings a human being can experience. Assessing and knowing the motives of your heart to be true and good, you are nevertheless marginalized and mischaracterized by others…most painfully by those closest to you. Though you seek goodness and truth, you are labeled as “Wicked,” cast aside as a villain, an object for others to unite around and rally against.