I was in hospital, so this is late, but we are telling the Hanukkah story today. Hanukkah is all about rededication to God and a miracle. It is also about a bloody war fought for religious freedom. It is recorded in the Apocryphal book of Maccabees.

Alexander the Great conquered the known world, including Judea. His rule was lenient and many Jews liked Greek culture, turning away from their lifestyle and religion (Hellenized Jews). When he died Israel became part of the Seleucid Empire (Syria), their new King Antiochus IV Epiphanies imposed his beliefs and culture on the Empire; with the support of the Hellenized Jews. He banned the weekly Sabbath, replaced the high priest with a Hellenized Jew (who bribed him for the position), stopped the temple sacrifices and outlawed circumcision (the mark of the covenant that the Jews had with God). Mothers who had their sons circumcised were killed along with their babies. Bibles were burned. He set up a pagan statue in the temple and had a pig slaughtered there in worship of it. Many Jews fled into the wilderness and lived in caves, many became martyrs of their faith.

A resistance formed led by a priestly family “the Maccabees” they became freedom fighters, They were outnumbered and outclassed, fighting the superpower of their time but after 3 years of guerrilla warfare they won! It was a miracle, proof God was with them and they were to maintain independence for a Century.

After liberating the Temple, they cleaned it and went to re-dedicate it, but when they came to light the great Menorah with the sacred oil they found they only had one day’s worth of sacred oil left intact. The Menorah is meant to burn continuously and be an eternal flame, as God is the eternal light of the world. It would take 8 days to produce more sacred oil but they went ahead and lit the giant Menorah with the little they had, after the 1st day it kept burning, shedding its light for the next 8 days until they had enough to refill it. They knew then for sure, that even though God was silent, (there were no more prophets) He was still with them.

Celebrated annually, for orthodox Jews, it is about bringing the temple practice back and fulfilling religious duty. For more reformed and secular Jews, it is a joyous festival of light. For Christians, Jesus was probably conceived during Hanukkah and as an adult he attended the Hanukkah celebration and announced in the temple, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.” More than enough reason for us all to celebrate Hanukkah!