Got this from a dear friend today..It is a great thought on this 5th day of Hanukkah
Enter His Presence
Today, as you reflect upon the Jewish holiday Hanukkah and its relationship to Christmas, take a moment to still your spirit and open your heart to receive the light of Christ.
The Word of God
"...I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6(b)
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12
"In him was life, and that life was the light of men...The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world". John 1:4, 9
Hanukkah and Christmas
Our Jewish friends are celebrating Hanukkah this week. It is an 8 day festival commemorating events that took place during the time between the Old and New Testaments. The year was 165 B.C. The Jewish people were under the domination of the Syrian king Antiochus, a madman who forced them to abandon their culture and religion. He made sure the Jewish people could not use the Temple to worship God. He erected idols of himself in the holy place - and worst of all, he sacrificed a pig on the altar. The Jewish people were utterly defeated and demoralized-until a small band of guerilla soldiers known as the Maccabees courageously and miraculously recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple.
Had Antiochus gotten his way, there would have been no Jewish culture, no Israel for Messiah to be born into. Without Hanukkah, there would have been no Christmas.
The menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that was to burn continually in the Temple, had been extinguished by Antiochus' henchmen. When the Maccabees recaptured the Temple they cleansed it and searched for fresh oil to rekindle the flame. According to tradition, they discovered only enough oil to last one day. They used what oil they had to rekindle the flame and amazingly, it lasted for eight whole days until fresh oil could be produced.
Today, A nine-branched candelabra is used for the 8 day festival of lights. The shamash or "servant" candle is lit first, and it is used to light all the other 8 candles, one night at a time, until all 9 are aglow.
In John 10:22-23 we find Jesus standing in the Temple area at the precise time of this festival boldly announcing, "I am the light of the world, He who follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life".
Jesus, like the servant candle on the Hannukiah, lights our way, and sends His Spirit to ignite us as well, so that we can shine His light in a dark world. We do not have enough "oil" to live a life dedicated to God, but Jesus has miraculously provided for us in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Father, Thank you for Jesus, the true light, who gives light to every person who comes into the world, both Jew and Gentile. May we walk in the fullness of His great light. Amen.
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