Last night started the first of 8 nights of Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication, the Feast of Lights.
Even though I am a believer in Messiah, to the surprise of many Christian friends, I celebrate Hanukkah, rather than Christmas. And I think that’s the proper thing to do for any believer in Messiah, Jewish or not! Here’s why:
- Unlike Christmas, Jesus celebrated Hanukkah.
- Hanukkah has a Godly background: it remembers the time when Israel rededicated the Temple to God after it had been defiled by foreign powers.
- Hanukkah reminds us to tear down the idols in our lives and rededicate ourselves to God.
- Hanukkah reminds us that God preserves His people, and His ways, even though the world continually fights it.
- The origins of Christmas are not about Jesus.
- Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th.
- Christmas has become a commercialized, secular holiday, with the prominent figures being airborne fat men, flying livestock, toy-making mythological creatures and other pseudo-religious myths that have nothing to do with Messiah.
- Hanukkah is free from Christmas’ paraphernalia – adorned trees, decorative balls, wreaths, yuletide – ancient religious ritual objects which have nothing to do with Messiah.
Christmas, for many, has become all about what gifts you receive. Christmas, for many, has become an emotion-based holiday, with family ornaments, gatherings around the tree, old childhood Christmas memories. Some would say that’s a good thing. But perhaps this deep emotional investment is why Christmastime sees more depression and suicides than any other time of year.
Hanukkah puts the focus back on God, and how he preserved us, and how we rededicated the Temple to Him after the world tried to tear it down. It showed us that the God of Israel lives, and that the chief god of Greece is nothing but a crumbling statue.
Marty Goetz, a Messianic Jew, has written a beautiful Hanukkah piano psalm. It sums up how I feel about this holiday:
You who love Messiah seek him out this season of rededication. Shalom.