GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY!

[GOOD MORNING, PASTOR!] HOW IS EVERYBODY TODAY?

[GOOD!] THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.

YOU GUYS HAVE A GOOD WEEK? [YES.] ALL RIGHT. IN THE

PURPLE BAG WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HELP US

REMEMBER OUR LESSON FOR TODAY.

WHO WOULD LIKE TO LOOK IN THE PURPLE BAG THIS MORNING?

LET'S LET ARIEL.

[PASTOR HANDS ARIEL THE PURPLE BAG AND SHE COMMENTS AS SHE

PULLS OUT ...] CANDY CORN!

YOU GUYS LIKE CANDY CORN?

[CHILDREN MURMURING] YOU DON'T?

[INDISCERNIBLE] YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN LIKE IT

WHEN YOU STICK IT ON YOUR TEETH IN FRONT AND HAVE FANGS?

[I LIKE IT!] NO?

[CHILDREN TALKING OVER ONE ANOTHER] YES, ELIZABETH!

[I LIKE IT.] YOU LIKE IT? [AFTER I CHEW IT UP, THEN

I SWALLOW IT.] WELL, YES THEN, AFTER YOU CHEWED IT UP, YOU

SWALLOWED IT. THAT'S RIGHT. SO WHERE DO YOU THINK PASTOR GOT

THIS CANDY CORN? BRENDON?

[HALLOWEENING?] YOU MIGHT THINK THAT, BUT PASTOR DOESN'T

DO HALLOWEEN THINGS. DID YOU GUYS GET CANDY FOR HALLOWEEN?

[I DON'T CELEBRATE IT.] YOU DON'T CELEBRATE IT? [HIGH 5'S]

YOU DO? THAT'S A GOOD THING.

YOU KNOW WHY YOU CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN?

WHY? [CUZ IT'S A CELEBRATION]

OF WHAT? [AT SCHOOL]

IT'S A CELEBRATION AT SCHOOL, YES, BUT OF WHAT?

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN? [BECAUSE IT'S A HOLIDAY]

WELL IT IS KIND OF A HOLIDAY. ARIEL? [TO GET CANDY]

TO GET CANDY! THAT IS EXA-A-ACTLY

RIGHT! THAT IS WHY WE CELEBRATE

HALLOWEEN TODAY ... TO GET CANDY. THAT IS NOT WHY

HALLOWEEN USED TO BE CELEBRATED.

IT WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED "ALL HALLOWED EVE".

AND IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE "ALL

SAINTS DAY". AND WHAT PEOPLE WOULD DO IS

THEY WANTED TO CELEBRATE THE SAINTS OF GOD

ON THE NEXT DAY. SO WHAT THEY HAD TO DO THEY

THOUGHT WAS TO MAKE THEMSELVES VERY PURE, THAT

THEY WOULD BE HOLY. SO THEY WOULD SCARE ALL THE

DEMONS AWAY. THEY WOULD PUT UGLY MASKS ON THEIR FACES.

THEY WOULD CARVE PUMPKINS TO KEEP THE FIRE IN THERE

AWAY FROM THE EVIL SPIRITS.

SO THAT'S HOW IT STARTED. SO THAT THEY COULD ALL

CELEBRATE HOLY ON ALL-SAINTS DAY.

[WE STILL ...

PUMPKINS ... HALLOWEEN INDISCERNIBLE]

WELL YES, SO WE STILL DO THE PUMPKIN THING. BUT ALL OF A

SUDDEN, IT'S ALL ABOUT CANDY. BUT THINK BACK TO THOSE PEOPLE

WHO WERE TRYING TO BE HOLY.

[WE HAVE A BIG GIANT.]

THAT'S GOOD. [INDISCERNIBLE]

THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD, TOO, THAT OMA HAS THAT.

BUT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HOW PEOPLE

BEFORE USED TO THINK THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO

MAKE SURE THAT THEY GOT THEMSELVES ALL HOLY.

DO YOU THINK WE CAN DO THAT? [NO] NO, WE CAN'T!

WHO ONLY CAN MAKE US HOLY? [GOD]

AND HOW DID GOD MAKE US HOLY? WHAT DID GOD DO

SO THAT YOU AND I COULD BE HOLY AND SINLESS? ARIEL?

[HE SENT HIS SON] HE SENT JESUS TO DIE ON THE CROSS.

THAT'S RIGHT! AND THAT'S WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES A BLESSING TO US

IS THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GOD'S CHILDREN.

WE KNOW THAT GOD HAS MADE US HOLY. AND WE KNOW

THAT HE IS GONNA TAKE US TO BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN.

WE KNOW THAT IT DOESN'T DEPEND ON US AND WHAT WE'VE DONE.

AND SCARING AWAY THE EVIL AND KEEPING THE EVIL AWAY FROM US.

GOD HAS DEFEATED THE EVIL

IN JESUS CHRIST, AND THROUGH FAITH WE ARE

GOD'S SAINTS. WE ARE HIS CHILDREN. WE ARE HOLY

AND THAT'S THE BLESSING THAT WE HAVE OF KNOWING

THAT HEAVEN IS ALWAYS OURS.

ARE YOU GUYS SURE OF THAT?

ARE YOU GUYS ... SURE ... OF THAT? OKAY!

ARE YOU GUYS SURE OF IT?

YES! GOOD, BECAUSE THAT'S IMPORTANT. BECAUSE THE OLDER

YOU GET, SOMETIMES YOU FORGET THAT.

AND WE'RE ... NEVER ... GONNA FORGET THAT. THAT GOD HAS

MADE US HOLY. AND HEAVEN IS OUR HOME.

GOOD! YOU GUYS CAN GO BACK TO YOUR MOMS AND DADS

AND WE'LL JOIN TOGETHER IN OUR HYMN-OF-THE-DAY, HYMN 549.