One Light to Rule Them All

Every night this week, we lit candles. Each night the light grows brighter and we remember the miracles and good works God has done.

A large fee waived.

A friend's brother, missing in a flooding area, found.

A friend's mother released to go home to heaven.

A child making a big choice for her future.

The world around us is a mess, but God's light shines in the darkness.

Last Sunday, we spun the dreidel, a simple little game of chance whose purpose is to remind us that "A Great Miracle Happened There." We ate jelly donuts and chocolate coins and thanked God for keeping us alive, sustaining us, and allowing us to reach this season.

For me, Hannukah has been a light-hearted holiday. It is a minor holiday in the Jewish year and does not carry the burden of atonement or judgment. It is simply a time to recognize light in darkness, victory over oppression, and the possibility of miracles.I

 was interested to note that Jesus celebrated Hannukah. I was hoping he used the day to say, "I am the light of the world," or tell the story of the unprepared virgins. Instead he said, "I am God's Son. I have been set apart." This brings to mind that Hannukah is about dedication, or making the temple holy again. Jesus is saying he is the temple AND he is already holy. No need to rededicate something that was never defiled.

Hannukah is all about victory, deliverance, healing, miracles, holiness, and ressurection. Sounds familiar to me. The Jews were looking for someone to rise up and overthrow their Roman oppressors, like the Macabees had done to the Syrians. Jesus had plans to overthrow a much greater oppressor.

I don't know if there's any symbolism intended in this or not, but when lighting the candles of Hannukah, there is one candle set aside to light the others. It stands higher than the other lights and burns for all 8 nights. I picture Jesus as this candle. He is the the constant, the light source, the one who turns us all into lights in the world.

This week's Torah Portion:

Genesis 41:1-44:17

Zechariah 2:14-4:7

John 2:12-4:42

Photo credit: slgckgc via VisualHunt / CC BY