Its Not Over Yet!!

Well, the title might be misleading; Christmas is over, but Chanukah is not. We are in the second of eight days of the Festival of Lights (or Feast of the Dedication). The Jewish writings say one must rejoice every day of the festival.

The Jews at one point argued over how to light the candles on the Menorah. Hillel thought we should begin with one candle on the first day, two on the second day, and so forth until there are eight candles lit (plus the servant candle) on the final day. Shammai said there should be eight (plus one) candles lit on the first day, and as the holiday wore on there should be one less candle each night. The Rabbis decided to support Hillel’s idea because the holiday should grow on us and not diminish.

Even so, this season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or both, should grow in meaning and joy day by day into the New Year. And the spirit of the holiday should continue to grow day by day throughout 2017. (Unless there is a good reason, why should we worry or be sad next year?) So the point is to take one, two or three things which come out of the Christmas season (not material, but spiritual), and live them throughout the New Year. I have more about this in my book, Advent Journeys. There are devotions for all eight days of Chanukah.

I wrote in my last blog to “let your light shine.” Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Mt 5:14-16).

In 2017 we should be a witness to others. People are drawn to joy (which is why we all like Christmas) and light (as moths are drawn to light). While many might complain about the state of our world, the economy or the government, as Christians we must realize we have and we need to be something more. The only real way to change this world is from the inside out. And that means we must share what is inside: faith.