I happened to be sitting, minding my own business and: Wham!! I get to overhear something that I really wish I had not overheard and I saw an expression; and, it made me really sad. I thought to myself, "Whatever could they be thinking?" The comment was that they were celebrating Christmas and with almost a gleeful expression on their face and a joyful skip to their step, they were NOT celebrating Hanukkah. Not celebrating Hanukkah, I thought to myself. In a moment, feelings of happiness and lightheartedness changed to depression, fleeting anger, and great sadness. Do you not know, have you not heard? Do you not know the celebration of Hanukkah? The miracle that God did and the Jewish people remember and it seems most fitting to me that we Christians with our Judeo-Christian background should be celebrating more Hanukkah than Christmas.
Since Jesus Christ is referred to as the "Light of the World", I cannot find a better tradition to follow than Hanukkah. The remembrance of God for keeping the oil lamps lit in the temple for longer than His people had oil to keep the lamps lit. A miracle of His provision and protection. The Israelites were under seige and holed up in the temple. They only had enough oil (oil is symbolic for the Holy Spirit by the way) to last a few days. God made the oil last, and last, and last...think of the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going and going and going.
I will celebrate Hanukkah over Christmas any day, and again, I am reminded of the Bible verse which says "the traditions of men that make void the word of God." I'm paraphrasing and thinking, if you want to know more - Go look it up. Do your research, People! It has to do with Joshua and "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Christmas, most Christians think of as remembering the birth of Jesus except - Jesus wasn't born at this time of year. If you do your research you will find that most Christmas traditions are steeped deep in pagan religion. True, imagine my dismay when I learned that and wanted to find a way to honor God.
Hanukkah is known as the "The Festival of Lights." It fits. Jesus is the light. The light of Christmas. The light of the world. The all-sufficient one. He is eternal. He lives, he reigns, there is no one or no thing greater or higher than Jesus Christ. Hanukkah fits and fits very nicely. Remembering my God who shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. My God who does miracles still today.
