Please Make of Our Relationship a Great and Holy Adventure: "Miracles are a retelling in small letters...

...of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."

The fall/ winter holidays are fast approaching which is so exciting because that means lots of time with family and friends! It also means one of the most treasured times of the year for many people- the Christmas season. I have struggled with this time a bit in recent years because it really does seem like the true meaning of Christmas gets overlooked by so many people. The material side of Christmas has flooded the world and has enveloped the original reason for the celebration. I was speaking with one of my volunteers about this, and she commented that the commercialization of Christmas has spread to the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah as well. While I think that the customs and traditions that society has concocted surrounding these holidays can be fun, beautiful, and meaningful in their own ways, I think that the original meanings behind Christmas and Hanukkah are beautiful in and of themselves and need to be recognized and celebrated for exactly what they are. I think that if we keep the true meaning as our focal point, the fun accents and traditions that go along with the season will fall into place as significant contributions to the celebrations.

Holiday: Hanukkah- November 27- December 5

Celebration:
Hanukkah, which means dedication, celebrates the re-dedication of the temple after it was desecrated by the Syrian armies of Antiochus and the miracle of the oil that kept the candles burning in the temple longer than the Jewish people thought possible. It represents the victory of faith over the ways of speculative reason, and demonstrates the power of the miracle in the face of mere humanism.

Historical background:
In 168 B.C.E. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. This upset the Jewish people, but many were afraid to fight back for fear of reprisals. Then in 167 B.C.E. the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism an offense punishable by death. He also ordered all Jews to worship Greek gods. To prove his point, Antiochus marched his troops into Jeruselem and desecrated the holy Temple. The altars, utensils, and even the golden menorah were all defiled or torn down. He also ordered that a pig be sacrificed in the holy Temple and erected an image of Zeus as the new point of worship in the Temple.

Jewish resistance began in the village of Modiin, near Jerusalem. Greek soldiers forcibly gathered the Jewish villages and told them to bow down to an idol, then eat the flesh of a pig – both practices that are forbidden to Jews. A Greek officer ordered Mattathias, a High Priest, to acquiesce to their demands, but Mattathias refused. When another villager stepped forward and offered to cooperate on Mattathias' behalf, the High Priest became outraged. He drew his sword and killed the villager, then turned on the Greek officer and killed him too. Mattathias and his five sons and the other villagers then attacked the remaining soldiers, killing all of them.

Mattathias and his family went into hiding in the mountains, where other Jews wishing to fight against the Greeks joined them. One of the sons, Judah, rose to leadership and was nicknamed "Macabee" meaning the hammer. Overwhelmingly outnumbered and under supplied, the armies of the Maccabees turned to creative devices. Relying on their knowledge of the hill country and employing guerrilla warfare, the Jewish forces met with surprising success. Spurred on by their firm conviction that the God of Israel was true and faithful, the Maccabees proved that the impossible could happen. They were able to drive out the Syrians and recapture the Temple in Jerusalem.

Once the Maccabees had regained control they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem. By this time it had been completely spiritually defiled and was in shambles. The Maccabees and their followers worked to cleanse the altars and restore the holy furnishing. Of particular importance to them was the broken menorah because it symbolized the light of God in the Temple. They restored it and attempted to light it, but to their dismay, they discovered that there was only one day's worth of oil left in the Temple. They knew it would take 8 days to prepare more oil for the menorah, but they decided it was better to light it immediately so that the light of God would shine forth as the Temple was re-dedicated. To their amazement, the small amount of oil lasted for eight days until additional oil was available!

Biblical basis:
Daniel 8:21-25
21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

John 10:22-42

I and the Father Are One
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Jesus and Hanukkah:
It is a little ironic that the only reference to the festival of Hanukkah occurs in the New Testament. In John, we read that Jesus was in the temple during the "Feast of Dedication" or Hanukkah. During a season of remembering miracles, Jesus pointed out that the works that He did attested to His claim to be the long-awaited savior of the Jewish people. His works and character clearly displayed the true Light of who He was, and those works still shine to us today. Jesus was and forever shall be the greatest Jew who ever lived upon the earth.

Jesus, our Messiah gives us light, the very "light of life." What does this mean to you who claim to know Him and His message? How does this impact you as s follower in this darkened age? We are called to be part of His Temple, His Body, and at this time we should reflect on rededicating ourselves to the eradication of all that compromises us and tempts us to assimilate with the darkened world around us. It is only by the light of Jesus that we gain victory over the powers of darkness. When we walk in the Light, we have fellowship and unity with one another- a beautiful divinely sanctioned communion.

May we rededicate our own lives as temples cleansed and readied by His Spirit to honor His Presence. May this be a joyful time of celebrating the overcoming victory of the Light of the World.

Ways to Celebrate:

-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Homemade menorahs! Here are a couple of my favorite ideas...

**Hanging Star of David

-Fun family ideas:
**Create 8 days of celebration honoring and recognizing the reason for the season- the oil, lights, trust in God, and miracles!
-Day 1: Holiday meal
-Day 2: Share a modern miracle story
-Day 3: Play dreidel
-Day 4: Share a modern miracle story
-Day 5: Go on a family donut trip!
-Day 6: Share a modern miracle story
-Day 7: Scavenger hunt for a special gift
-Day 8: Holiday meal with a re-dedication song- possibly "Sanctuary" focusing on re-dedicating yourself as a temple for God's light to dwell

-Religious traditions:
**Light the menorah each night and say the blessings that correspond

Nightly blessing:

First night only:

How We Celebrated:
I made a special Hanukkah calendar that had an envelope for each day of the festival. Inside each envelope was a bible verse pertaining to light that we opened every day and discussed. There was also a fun thing for us to do each day as a family. I think my favorite day may have been when we went to get donut holes....sooooo good! We cooked a festive meal on the final evening of Hanukkah which consisted of a sweet apple cranberry slaw topped with sweet potato latkes! It was a beautifully fun and festive holiday season for sure.