SEASONS - A CHRISTIAN CHANUKAH IN 2014

If you are among the many Christian people today who have come to see and understand the Jewish history which brought about the celebration of Chanukah, and have learned that it truly was a miracle of God which should be remembered and find it a reason to celebrate; and if you too, like me, believe that this celebration actually shows us Christians MORE of the meaning of Our Lord Jesus Christ coming into this world as The Light Of The World; there is no reason why you and I, as Christians, should not feel free to join in the celebration of this joyous holy time.  Our celebration will be slightly different in light that we believe the Messiah has already come and the Chanukah miracle plays into that belief.  

So, go ahead!  Buy a Menorah and some candles and set aside the time in your home with your family to ponder the miracles of God during this season.  Each day for the next eight days I will be posting prayers and meditations which relate and you can use them if you like to implement into your own yearly celebrations of God’s love for mankind in your own home with your own family and friends.

Instructions for lighting the Chanukah Menorah:

The Chanukah candles cannot be used to light each other, which is why we use the Shamash Candle to light the Menorah.  It's not one of the 8 Chanukah candles, so we set it in a place above the rest. The Shamash can be made out of sweet-smelling beeswax.  This candle represents Y’shua, Jesus to Christians.  Jewish people know it as "the servant candle."  This candle is higher and more special than the others because it has more power, yet it is a servant to the other candles, giving them life and light.

We place candles in the Menorah from right to left, but we light the candles from left to right.

On the first night we light one candle on the right side. On the second night we light the new, candle first, starting from the left and moving to the right. A new candle is added each night until we have eight candles and the Shamash on the eighth night.  Chanukah, like the oil of the temple when it was rededicated, lasts for eight days.   

Each night as we add another candle and light them again we can recite special blessings.  We can also meditate on the truth from the illustrations found in God’s Word and the truth of the history of God’s people throughout time to help us understand the full meaning of this special time together and how Chanukah was a great miracle of God. 

BLESSING FOR THE FIRST NIGHT OF CHANUKAH

We praise you O Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctifies us by Your Presence and enjoins us to kindle the Chanukah lights.

We praise You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed wonderous deeds for our ancestors in days of old during this season.

We praise You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this season.

MEDITATION FOR THE FIRST DAY:

Life is precious and should be appreciated as the gift from God that it is.  It is God’s Son, Y’shua, Jesus, who gives us life, and gives it more abundantly; according to John 10:10

(John 10:10) 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.”

Furthermore, Y’shua, Jesus, declared in John 11:25-26:  “I am the resurrection and the life:  he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me, shall never die.”

Y’shua, Jesus came that we might have life and light.

 This is represented well by the Shamash, or the servant candle that we use to give the light to all the other candles.  This candle brings the light into our world, just as Jesus Christ has brought life into  a dark world.