SEASONS - CELEBRATING A CHRISTIAN HANUKKAH IN 2016 - BLESSINGS AND MEDITATIONS FOR THE FOURTH DAY

TODAY WE LIGHT THE FOURTH CANDLE OF HANNUKAH:

PRAYERS:

Blessed art thou O Lord Our God, King of The Universe Who has given to us holidays, customs, and seasons for gladness. For the glory of The Lord Yeshua, Our Messiah, The Light Of The World.

Blessed art Thou, Lord Our God, Master of the Universe, Who performed miracles for our fathers in those days at this time.

We kindle these lights to commemorate the wonders and the miracles and the saving acts that You have performed for our forefathers, in those days at this time, by Your Holy Priests.  And all throughout the eight days of Hanukkah, these lights are holy and we are not permitted to make use of them, but only to behold them, in order to offer thanks and praise to Your great Name, for Your miracles, for Your wonder, and for Your salvation.

MEDITATION:

Luke 11:34:  The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thy eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

Acts 26:18:  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are unsanctified by faith that is in me.

THOUGHTS AND MEDITATIONS: 
(by Sheila Gail Langraf)

There is such a deep, deep message in these scriptures for our world today.  It is a message about being a missionary of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The light of Hannukah was to help us see.  

Those early worshipers of God saw, as we do today; that He was a God of miracles.  Yet; there is MORE to see now!  

When we light those candles we use the tallest candle, the servant candle to bring the light to all the others one at a time one day at a time; and with this act we think of Christ and how God gave Him to the world to save us from our sins.   

A King came as as servant to serve us in order to bring the light of God into the world!  

It is a great miracle!  It is an eye-opening miracle that brings light into the soul.

Having the light; the concern is to use it for sight.  

Why would we be living in light and not see?  

I am not sure how people can do this; but they do.  

They do not see the obvious works of God all around them.  They see and use the evil instead of the true things from God that are good and help us to live.  

The light of the soul is its understanding and judgment and its power to discern between good and evil, truth and lies.   

God has given us great light!  

Let us open our eyes to see!

Brothers and sisters be sincere in your seeking of truth and be ready to receive it in the light and love and power of God, not in the same way of the men of this generation to whom Christ preached who never sincerely desired to know God’s will.  There are many living, even right now, who are also deceiving others and pulling them away from The Kingdom of God.  No wonder so many walk in darkness.   To walk in the light we must display pure truth.  

When I was a young girl I was very active in a missions group called Acteens.  I made many lifelong friends participating in that little group and attending summer camp with them each year.    We had a lot of fun and we learned a lot about life and living in the The Kingdom of God together.  

We learned about the message of the light of Christ!

Way back then the Acteens had a theme song which is an old hymn sometimes sung in churches today.  That old song comes to mind as I light the fourth candle today.  It seems so relevant to the message we have presented here at the lighting of the fourth candle of Hannukah.

I did not even understand Hannukah back then; but the theme of the message was in my heart in the things that we did in Acteens.  It was a message of truth and light!  The words of this old song are still inside my heart and they seem even more significant now than ever:

Let those who know Christ and worship The One True God of Heaven and Earth go forth and proclaim the message of truth and the light to all the earth.

SEASONS PRAYER AND MEDITATION FOR THE SECOND FULL DAY OF HANUKKAH 2016

Strange photo for Hanukkah?  Not really, I'm trying to get you to notice the light in everything this season.  Ironically enough this building that reflects the light so beautifully is called "The Peace Center."  Nothing could be more appropriate when we think of The Light of The World.  

PRAYERS:

Blessed art thou O Lord Our God, King of The Universe Who has given to us holidays, customs, and seasons for gladness. For the glory of The Lord Yeshua, Our Messiah, The Light Of The World.

Blessed art Thou, Lord Our God, Master of the Universe, Who performed miracles for our fathers in those days at this time.

We kindle these lights to commemorate the wonders and the miracles and the saving acts that You have performed for our forefathers, in those days at this time, by Your Holy Priests.  And all throughout the eight days of Chanukkah, these lights are holy and we are not permitted to make use of them, but only to behold them, in order to offer thanks and praise to Your great Name, for Your miracles, for Your wonder, and for Your salvation.

Have you ever considered scattering the light of your Hanukkah table all over the table with the servant candle standing tallest in the center?  Not to take away from the sacredness of the Menorah (which I love) but to make the point of how little beacons of light scattered here and there are capable of lighting up the whole world when you are looking from a distance?  Something to ponder as you set the table and begin to think about how important the light of Christ is to all of us, whether near or far or scattered.  The next day with the Menorah in tact we notice with great significance how of beautifully and perfect God brings all those who have been scattered into one body forming unity and peace.

MEDITATIONS:

(By Nelson Mandela)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves:  Who am I to be 

brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking

So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

(By Martin Luther King, Jr.)

When people are placed in darkness,

Crimes will be committed.

The guilty are not just those who commit the crimes,

But those who cause the darkness.

(By Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Let us go about our day today shinning like the lights on the candles of the Menorah.  Let us be a beacon of Christ the King to those living within a dark world.  Let our lives reflect the Messiah that the hope of the miracle of the oil on the first Hanukkah prophesied to us.  Let the light of Christ shine out from you as another great miracle and go change the world from the inside out today.

SEASONS - LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE ON CHRISTMAS DAY

A MEDITATION FOR LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE ON CHRISTMAS DAY

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Christmas is here! 

We have arrived at our destination after a long, long journey! 

What miracles we have discovered along the way; but today brings the greatest miracle of all!

Today we light the four outside candles first; these candles that have spoken to us of hope, love, joy and peace. 

Next we light the large white candle in the middle!   

This is what we have been waiting for so long!

This is The Christ Candle.  

This candle speaks to us of the promises of God fulfilled, that came in the form of a child to save us from our sins and give us eternal life with God forever. 

On our way to this place of lighting the last candle we have pondered many things. 

Today we will ponder the greatest miracle of all; the miracle of Jesus coming to Us! 

Our wait is over! 

He is here! 

Emmanuel has come;

Christ is with us! 

Hallelujah! 

We give glory to God for sending us a Messiah in the humble form of a little child named Jesus!

God sent Christ to give us all the things the other candles spoke to us about:  hope, peace, joy and love. 

Today we thank God for sending us Jesus.  

He is the Messiah for ALL people, not just those who sought God so long ago. 

Just as He came to save the shepherds and the wise men who sought him then; He has also come to save those of us who seek Him now. 

Just as He was born to Mary and laid in a manger; He is born today inside our hearts. 

Let us come to Him rejoicing and bringing our gifts of love. 

God has given us the gift of Jesus!

O come let us adore Him!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace! (Isaiah 9:6)

SEASONS - PRAYER AND MEDITATIONS FOR HANUKKAH ON THE NIGHT OF CHRISTMAS EVE IN 2016 EXPERIENCING GOD IN THE FIRST FULL DAY OF HANUKKAH

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

It isn't required that you read meditations each day as you light the Menorah for Hanukkah; but we enjoy the exercise and feel it helps to give the season more fulfillment inside our hearts; so we chose to do so at our house; and invite you to join in with us.  

If you are reading these meditations each day as you are lighting the Hanukkah candles on your Menorah, I hope that you are keeping one very important question in mind.  Are you experiencing Hanukkah within your heart and in your own days, or is it just an ancient story to you?   

Is The One and Only True God being daily renewed in your life, replacing all the false and untrue things that the world tries to force upon us?  God's Holy Days and the two occasions of Mosaic Holidays each year help us, remind us, and teach us to do just that.  

There are no set rules or prayers for making this meditation each year; it is simply about remembering the Presence of God among His people in times of hardship and struggle.  

In the world that we live in now; what could be more timely?  Every newscast is full of false prophets proclaiming there is no more hope.  We need the truth to fall on our ears and find its way into our hearts again this year.  

So many seem to have lost the way to hope; yet these days hold out pictures of our hope like a perfect gift wrapped in gold.  They are free to all who want to believe and understand.  They are reminders of our greatest gifts; those sent down from our heavenly Father!

The fact that the first day of Hannukah  falls during and on Christmas Eve in 2016 makes it even more significant.  Do we remember Christ in EVERY celebration EVERY year?  He IS the light of Hanukkah.  He IS the miracle!  What we celebrate as Emmanuel on Christmas Eve is what the miracle of Hannukah foretold.  It was a prophesy of the coming Messiah!  The miracle of the light spoke of the coming miracle of The Light Of The World.  

 He is the Christ Child we look for at Advent.  He is the Savior we honor with Christmas Day.  He is the fulfillment of all of God's Holy Days.  He is what the Mosaic Holidays point to.  The Hanukkah story just points to more of the miracles that happened because of Him.    

It is all about remembering that God gives us the hope and a promise of a good and everlasting future, no matter how dark or bleak the winter we are living through may seem.  

For so many of us Christmas Eve brings disappointment.  This is not intended disappointment; it happens when we put our faith in the things of the world and not on the things of God.  

If your focus is straight, your heart will celebrate in all circumstances; just like that very first Hanukkah when the great miracle happened.  When we ponder the miracles of God during this time, our own selfish and human complaints seem to disappear and they are replaced with God's joy in our hearts at the things that He has done for us, and not the things that the world has done to us.  

This MUST have been the way that Mary was able to get through such an unexpected change in her life; a miracle from God that did not look like a miracle.  From the worldly view, it seemed like trouble.  Mary's focus was straight, and so was the focus of those who cleansed the temple on that very first Hannukah when God gave the miracle of light as a sign that Messiah would come!  

These ancient worshipers celebrated in spite of their lack; and God provided more than they needed!  He brought forth a symbol of the Light that we now know as Messiah.  

In this season that occurs during the darkest and shortest days of winter we are reminded that spring is coming again, and with spring comes new life from God.  The things that will grow into spring lay hidden in the ground right now; but they are still there; just like hope that is always ever growing but not always visible to the eye.  There ARE hidden miracles at work and God still has control of everything!  

It all starts in the darkness of winter and silently grows in God’s ever abiding Presence when we remember that He Alone is the God of great miracles.  So make your prayer and light your candles in a gesture of faith, and please remember and experience the moments. 

Religion is not merely to be observed, but in its highest state it must be expressed!

Do you not feel an existential awareness of God’s Presence as you observe the things that honor Him in your life?  

Are you not being totally honest about your relationship with God as you light the candles that point to the hope that reveals The Light of The World?  

As the days are building, one candle after another and they increase in light as the time goes by, is your soul too expanding wider in order to incorporate all the things that God is showing you and teaching you in this life?  Are you living out your days as if each day were the lighting of yet another candle and another way to worship the God you love?  

If you are not content that you are constantly dwelling in the light of God; do you have a dream and a vision of coming closer and closer in the future?  

Are you taking those small steps every day that open the door wider and wider to the work of God within your heart?  Babies take small steps in the beginning before they are able to run.  We come to God with the heart of a child if we come honestly and willingly.  As we take small baby steps of faith; our hearts grow wider and fuller of The Light of The World we know as Messiah.

It is hoped by the end of Hanukkah, when all eight candles have been lit and set back into their place, that the room will fill up and glow with the Spirit of God and we all will feel His Presence as close as the flames of the candles and as warm as the love that lasts through all of eternity.  

The smoke of the candles send up our prayers.  

God sees our hearts and knows. 

This year at Hanukkah please make a point of invoking God’s Presence each time you light the candles.  It is as easy as saying a heart-felt prayer and believing that He who has promised will be faithful.  

As a matter of fact; I think those very words may be the words we speak this year with each day of our candle lighting:   "HE WHO HAS PROMISED WILL BE FAITHFUL!"  It will be a reminding prayer that the light lasting for eight days was a glorious shadow of The Light Of The World called Christ who first came as a child and will soon come again as a King.  Each lighting will remind us of these three miracles of past, present and future in God's Kingdom!    

On the first full Day of Hanukkah as you see the new light, be prepared to not only observe God in your life, but to experience Him with each new breath that you take.

He will speak to your heart if you are only prepared to listen!