The Light of the World

Hanukkah started on Thanksgiving this year. The feast lasts for eight days, so it ends on December 5.

Jesus celebrated Hanukkah in Jerusalem.  How do I know?  The bible tells me so.

 

 

John 10: 22 

And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

The Feast of the Dedication, Hanukkah, and the  Festival of Lights are different names for the same celebration.

An evil ruler controlled Israel about 165 years before Christ was born.  He stopped the worship of God in the temple and contaminated the temple with a statue of Zeus; he sacrificed pigs to Greek gods.

A group of men who loved the Lord fought and won their freedom from this corrupt ruler.

Once free, they worked to clean the temple and rededicate to the Lord.  The Menorah stood in the temple and it was to be an eternal fire before the Lord.  When they were ready to light it, they realized they had only enough oil for one day.

Then a miracle occurred.  The day’s worth of oil continued to burn for eight days.  This was the amount of time needed to prepare the oil for use in the temple.  The fire burned eternally.

John tells us that once when Jesus was at the temple he made the following statement

John 8

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

He is my eternal light.  When my heart and my mind are focused on Him, I walk in the light.  When the business of the world or the aggravations of this life become my focus, I stumble in darkness.
Prayer:  Ask Jesus to shine light in my life; to be my eternal flame.

Mediation: Think about what habits, attitudes, or desires block the light from my life.

Activity:  Practice going through the day in silent prayer asking him to keep me in the light.