Skip to main content

Why We Celebrate Hanukkah

                                                                                 
Thanksgiving is over and the season of Advent has begun. For many Christians it is a time to eagerly prepare and await Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. A time to celebrate the birth of the King of all Kings, Jehovah, Jesus. A time to remember how God came to earth, got His hands dirty and became human, in order to offer salvation once and for all to everyone.

In our house we are enjoying Advent, but before we get all excited for Christmas there is a season that comes first, the eight days of Hanukkah. Oh Hanukkah. The Jewish festival of lights, of dedication, of God's provision. No, we are not Jewish. So, why do we celebrate this Jewish holiday? Many in our crazy culture could accuse us of "cultural appropriation" or some such silliness. No, it isn't that.

Jesus was a Jew. Jesus celebrate Hanukkah. In order to understand why I think Hanukkah is important, let's discuss what Hanukkah is. Back in the days before Jesus was born the Jews had a series of different cultures coming in and taking over. Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and the list goes on. About a century before Jesus would be born some zealots from one of the big Jewish families (the Maccabees) had had enough provision. They revolted (to know more search Books of Maccabees online).

Hanukkah celebrates the time right after the revolt when the temple was cleaned and rededicated to God. There was very little oil, it should have only lasted for about 24 hours, but God allowed it to last for eight days (approximately 192 hours) while the Jews worked to clean, purify and rededicate the temple to God (before that it was unused or used by others to worship things that weren't the true God). A miracle indeed.

Hanukkah shows that God provides for His children. God knows what we need most and those Jews needed the oil to last, so God allowed it to last. It shows that God is beyond science and what is expected. God created oil, God created time and God can manipulate the little bit of oil to last for as long as He wants. Hanukkah shows God's love.

Back in a time before electricity was discovered and its power was harnessed, people all over the globe were dependent upon the sun, upon oil and fire for light. God showed that He is the Light of the World, He allows candles to burn as long or as short as He wants. The Jews of Jesus' time understood the dependence upon just a few sources of light, so when Jesus states, "I am the Light of the World." they got it. Light is vitally important and Jesus is that light.

For all these reasons and more my daughter and I celebrate Hanukkah. We celebrate God providing for daily needs. We celebrate God's love. We celebrate the Light of the World. It is a great lead up to Christmas when we celebrate God entering the world as a human. Just a few weeks before Christmas we celebrate God showing His dominion over light and oil, over conventional expectations, we celebrate God seeing a group of people with a specific need and providing. Then, at Christmas we celebrate God doing the unconventional and coming to earth, becoming our salvation, our sacrifice, tearing down the curtain and changing the world. The two go hand in hand.

So, happy Hanukkah to one and all! If you want to know more and incorporate Hanukkah into your family visit: Chabad.com  and then go to Pintrest to find all the fun recipes and ways to celebrate God's provision and the re-dedication of the temple to God (now we can use the 8 days to re-dedicate our lives to our Savior as we prepare for Christmas and the annual celebration of what a gift Jesus provided).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No Sleep & A Friend Who Gets it!

One of the battles Snowflake and I have fought over the last 4.5 years is with sleep. She started out life as the greatest sleeper in the history of baby sleep. Quickly she was sleeping for 4-5 hours at a time. When she was awake she was inquisitive, happy and fun. When she was asleep she was O-U-T, out! She could sleep in the bowling alley! I thought I had birthed the world's best sleeper. I did not deal with new mom exhaustion. I was blessed. AND THEN... Well it started when she was fourteen months old. When our life changed. People say that little humans are resilient, and they are, but they notice and respond to major life changes. They are human after all and trauma affects us all, age doesn't matter. The young, old and in between are all changed by traumatic events, and Snowflake, she has a background with trauma. It isn't easy to lose a parent at any age, when you are too young to understand why that parent vanished and then the other parent moves you to a brand ...
1 comment
Read more

Keeping it at His Feet

I love to pray.  I love to just talk to Jesus.  He really is my best friend.  It amazes me that He knows me, knows all my secrets, my failures, my inadequate times, my sins and He loves me. He truely loves me. He doesn't love me less than He did when I was younger and skinnier.  He knows what I need to work on but He won't love me more when I purge some sin struggles.  He loves me completely and fully right now. He pursued me. He was beaten, tortured, mocked and brutally killed for me! My name was on His heart when He obeyed the Father on that terrible day. I can never thank Him enough.  I can't get enough of Him. I just love talking to God, the one I can trust with all my tears, fears, doubts, worries and hopes. I am really good at taking things to Him.  One thing I am working on is leaving it there.  I tend to want to take back my fears, worries and doubts. I want to see the future so I know if He says "yes" to my hopes. My big prayer ...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Want Better

You tell me I'm a "Deplorable" because I support Capitalism. You tell me I am dumb and backward and anti-choice because I support adoption, abstinence and condoms. You call me heartless when I want secure borders. You ridicule and mock my religion that is based on love and forgiveness. You scream that I'm killing the globe when I throw away my trash. That is just fine. You say you want equal rights, so do I.  It is fine because I want more for my daughter. I want more than bread lines and government issued food. I want more for her than the guilt, cancer risks and infertility risks of abortion. I want more than allowing terrorists, rapists, drug dealers and child predators into my country (we have enough already). I want more for my daughter than a faith built on chaos and chance. I support a God who loves, forgives, guides and offers a joy filled eternity. I want a clean earth, I'm all for recycling, but I want more for my daughter than spending all of our prec...
Post a Comment
Read more