Greetings Gail-Friends!
Today is Sunday and we are preparing for Hanukkah, which begins at sundown. We had a wonderful Sabbath yesterday and were blessed to attend Shalom Macon Messianic Synagogue on line. I recommend the rabbi's teaching about Hanukkah. You can watch it on YouTube at this link: They are also doing a Hanukkah observance online tonight at 6pm.
If you are new to celebrating Hanukkah, I also recommend my book 8 Days of Hanukkah and Christmas, too! It includes daily reflections for the eight days of Hanukkah along
with lots of full-color photos, songs, instructions for playing dreidle,
and some of my yummy recipes. This book is available on Amazon as a paperback or an
e-book!
How did a Southern Baptist girl who celebrated Christmas come
to be a Messianic Jew who celebrates Hanukkah? Well, that’s a long story
for another book. But briefly, one day I got on my knees and prayed for
God to show me if I was really, truly following HIM. I prayed, “I don’t
want to follow a religion, a denomination, a teacher, or a preacher. I
want to know that I am following You and Your Ways.” I never imagined
how God would answer that prayer.
If you're a Christian and are not observing Hanukkah, please read this article by Michael Boaz of First Fruits of Zion:
"Given
that Hanukkah is a historically Jewish festival and that its
celebration is not a
mitzvah (commandment) of the Torah, why
would Gentile believers in Yeshua celebrate it? Obviously Jewish
believers have a cultural affinity for the festival, but is there any
real biblical significance to it? Is there any reason Christians
might want to incorporate the celebration of Hanukkah into their
homes? Here are five reasons you may want to consider celebrating.
1. Did you know that Hanukkah is in the Gospels?
Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures because the
story of Hanukkah happened after the last book of the Tanach (Hebrew
Scriptures) had been written. However, Hanukkah is mentioned in the
New Testament. Yeshua went to the Temple for the Feast of Hanukkah.
We can read in John chapter 10 that Yeshua was in Solomon’s
Colonnade for the “Feast of Dedication,” which is another name
for Hanukkah. “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at
Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the
colonnade of Solomon” (John 10:22–23). The Master was
acknowledging this feast during his time with his people. We can
follow his example, unite with Israel and stand in solidarity with
them, especially in today’s world of hatred and growing
anti-Semitism.
2. Did you know that Hanukkah is a story of
religious persecution?
Hanukkah is a story
of religious persecution and standing up for faith in God. Yeshua
tells us we can expect persecution, but he also tells us that we must
stand firm in our faith. Hanukkah is the perfect time of year to
think about these issues and reflect on how the Maccabees stood up
under harsh persecution because their faith in honoring God motivated
them more than fear did. This is a beautiful lesson that all families
of faith can and should impart into their children’s hearts and
minds. Yeshua too stood up under persecution—even to the point of
death—in order to honor the Father.
3. Did you know that Hanukkah is the Festival of
the Light of the World?
Hanukkah is the Festival of Light. It celebrates the relighting
of the menorah lamp that burned in God’s Holy Temple. In
rabbinic terminology, the menorah was sometimes called the “light
of the world.” Yeshua said, “I am the light of the world,” and
another time he told his disciples, “You are the light of the
world.”
The beautiful, soft, warm glow of the candles on hanukkiahs
provides the perfect backdrop against which to reflect on how a small
amount of light permeates all areas of darkness. We can find
inspiration to let our faith in Yeshua shine through our actions and
thus affect the darkness in the world around us.
4. Did you know that Yeshua talked about
Hanukkah?
Yeshua talked about Hanukkah. He warned his disciples that the
things that happened in the story of Hanukkah would happen again: “So
when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet
Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matthew
24:15–16; see also Mark 13:13–16). To understand what he was
saying, his disciples had to know the story of Hanukkah.
His words come into clear focus for us, his modern-day disciples,
when we study the Hanukkah story and find its parallels and messages.
Our Master’s words are still as important for us today as they were
for his disciples during his day.
5. Did you know that Hanukkah commemorates the
dedication of God’s Temple?
Hanukkah means “dedication.” It is a remembrance of when the
Jews cleansed and rededicated God’s Holy Temple for the LORD’s
service alone. The New Testament tells us that we are God’s temple.
We can take the time during this season to spiritually strengthen
ourselves and to make sure that our “temples” are clean, void of
idolatry, and prepared to be the place where God’s Spirit can dwell
in peace."
If you do celebrate Hanukkah, I'd love to hear about your observance in the comments below.
