Hanukkah 2024 (1_1_25)

Presentation Notes

Hanukkah 2024 (1/1/25)

We get 3 holidays in one! Hanukkah, New Moon, and New Years!

Hanukkah as you know is not in the Bible.
It comes from the book of Maccabees.
The celebration of Hanukkah was an established tradition during Jesus time.
In John 10 it says that Jesus was walking the Temple during the feast of dedication.

So what is this holiday?

We’ll have a brief retelling of the story, but to set the stage:

During the 2nd century BC, the Greek empire had rule over Judea.
They wanted the Jews to become Greek,
to take on their ways and their gods.

Greek gymnasiums and theaters were built and Jews were encouraged to participate in these and other customs.

Wealthy and influential Jews who adopted Greek ways were often rewarded with power and prestige, pressuring others to follow.

King Antiochus also forbid the Jews from circumcising their children, from observing the Sabbath, and from studying the Torah under penalty of death.

He demanded sacrifices to Greek gods, often in public ceremonies.

The most notable thing of course is that King Antiochus desecrated the temple by erecting an idol of Zeus and sacrificed a pig there.

Some gave into the pressure to Hellenize and some resisted.

This is a prime example of how tyranny works.

It can appear at first as a welcoming offer of inclusion.

Be like us and you will be rewarded.

However, the tyranny reveals itself when the offer becomes a demand for conformity. Be like us or else.

The story of Hanukkah is one of dedication,

not just rededication of the Temple but the people’s dedication and faithfulness to God in the face of persecution.

It highlights not only the strength and perseverance of the Maccabee soldiers,

but the importance of holiness and courage.

Their victory gained the freedom of the Jewish people to worship the true God in the temple of God which remained until Jesus time and all the way till 70 A.D.

We’re nearing the end of Hanukkah already. That flew by.

As we light our menorahs one last time, make sure to reflect on the ways that we can be a light to the world around us, show dedication to God, and purify our temples,

individually,

as a congregation,

and as the body of Christ,

to reject the ways of the world and live as God calls us to.