"This Little Light of Mine"

Today marks the first day of Hanukkah, an eight day holiday for people who observe the Jewish faith.  Like most Jewish holidays, Hanukkah contain elements and traditions which were carried over into the Christian faith.  What I especially like about Hanukkah is the focus on light, which is so important to Christians during the season of Advent when candles are lit each week as we celebrate our season of waiting.  Hanukkah is not about waiting, though. Hanukkah is about celebrating God’s miraculous restoration of the Jewish Temple for worship of God.

In the year 168 B.C. (or B.C.E.) the Syrian-Greeks soldiers took control of the Jewish Temple and turned it into a place to worship  the Greek god, Zeus. The invaders outlawed Judaism and forced Jewish people to break Jewish religious laws. Eventually a group of the oppressed Jewish nation rose up to rebel.  They famously reclaimed possession of the Temple.  When they entered the Temple they wanted to re-dedicate it to God by purifying it with ritual oil, a process which would take 8 days. However, there was only enough oil for one day.  It would take 8 days to press olives and create new oil which could be burned. But, in faith, they lit the one day’s worth of oil that remained. The miracle of Hanukkah is that the oil burned for 8 days and so the Temple was miraculously rededicated to God’s glory. Since that time Hanukkah is observed over an eight day period by the lighting of a Hanukkah menorah, properly known as a hanukkiah.  It has nine candles, one for each day of the holiday. The candles are lit after sunset, and each day’s candle is lit by the “ninth” candle, called a “shammash.” This candle, the “helper” or “servant” candle is then used to each the candle of the day.  The hannukiah is displayed in the window of the Jewish family which lights it, not to light up the house, but to light up the world.  It is not a light to see within, but a light to remind the world of God’s miraculous power.  And so the Jewish community has been to the world, a constant reminder that God is a God who keeps his promises; a God who stays with his people through their times of sin and in their times of obedience.  God is a God who rebuilds and restores.

As you see lights around you church or city during this next eight days, think about them as evidence that God is still doing miracles. And if you meet someone who is dwelling in darkness this holiday season, won’t you be a “shammash” for her?  Give the gift of the light, hope in a  God who miraculously renews. And watch her light up.