Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Isiah 45-50, and I’m calling the episode “Surf’s Up.”  After my comments, we will of course learn what happened “On This Date In Church History”, and I’ll give you my opinion as to whether a Christian should celebrate Halloween. Comments on Isaiah 48 Do you live near an ocean? Have you ever been to the beach and watched the waves come crashing onto the shore?  I’m a southern California native. For all but about four years of my life, I’ve never lived more than an hour from the Pacific Ocean. As a matter of fact, I used to go surfing early in the morning before school started when I was in high school. I used to go SCUBA diving. I’ve never owned a boat, but I’ve had friends that did, and I love to sail. I love pretty much everything about the ocean. One of the things you learn about the ocean if you spend any amount of time in, under or on the water is that there is no fighting the force of the waves. When the swells come in, you can’t do anything to stop them. And if you’re surfing, and you have a bit of skill, they’ll carry you along and give you a thrilling ride. If you’re SCUBA diving below the surface, the swells push you in a sort of ebb and flow. If you’re on a boat, you’d better get your sea legs quickly or you’ll find yourself on the deck. What’s my point? In chapter 48, verse 17 and 18 we read: “The Lord Who bought you and saves you, the Holy One of Israel, says, “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to do well, Who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had listened to My Laws! Then your peace would have been like a river and your right-standing with God would have been like the waves of the sea.” Your right-standing with God would have been like the waves of the sea. Stay with me… God teaches us to do well and leads us in the way we should go. And here in Isaiah 48, He is talking to His chosen people. And He is disappointed. He says, “If only you had listened to me, your peace would’ve been like a river and your right-standing with Me would’ve been relentless and unstoppable, washing over you, giving you the ride of your lives.”  It reminds me of 1 John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us…”. Merriam Webster defines “lavish” as: expending or bestowing profusely. Isn’t it incredible how much our God loves us? Remember, love is more than a fuzzy feeling. Love is action. God wants to put His love into action toward us, and He wants to do it in such a way that we are carried away by it, overcome with it, thrilled by it. Brothers and sisters, we serve a God who SO deserves our praise! Should A Christian Celebrate Halloween? To celebrate Halloween or not. This is a question that many Christians wrestle with, especially Christian parents.  According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans are projected to spend $10.4 billion in 2021. About 65% of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween in some way this year. They’ll spend about $3.3 billion on costumes, $3.2 billion on decorations and $3 billion on candy. Greeting cards will take about $660 million.  Clearly, a lot of people in America celebrate Halloween. But should Christians? Some Christians do celebrate Halloween just by dressing up in a costume and having a good time, seeing the whole thing as a harmless beginning of the holiday season. Other Christians see Halloween as a Satanic celebration of the occult, with its glorification of witches, devils, black cats, skeletons and ghosts.