Chanukah: The Feast of Dedication
When
Chanukah is an eight day-long holiday, typically in mid- to late-December or early January.
(Dec 25, 2024 - Jan 2, 2025)
Scriptural Reference
“They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the festival of booths, remembering how not long before, during the festival of booths, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. Therefore, carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the purifying of his own holy place. They decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year.” (2 Maccabees 10:6-8, Apocrapha)
“At that time the Feast of Dedication [i.e. Chanukah] took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:22-30)
History
Chanukah, a word that means “dedication”, is celebrated as the annual Festival of Lights. It is a holiday that truly exemplifies the image of light overcoming darkness.
Starting around 222 BC, Syrian rule (dominated primarily by the dynasty of the Seleucids) had taken over the Land of Israel. From Antiochus III, to his son Seleucus IV, to his other son Antiochus IV, the family dynasty progressively imposed greater taxation and heavier burdens on the Jewish people. Between this and the growing hostility amidst the Jewish leaders and the Jewish Hellenists, and tensions only continued to heighten.
Eventually, one of the priests began urging the Jews to protest and fight back against the empire, particularly in an effort to reclaim and cleanse the temple of its idolatrous use. Shimon the Wise provided counsel that the Jews ought follow under the leadership of Judah the Strong, who was called “Maccabee” (hence, how he and his followers became known as the Maccabees).
While Antiochus sent troops multiple times to wipe out the defiant Maccabees, each time he met defeat. Finally, realizing it would require a truly powerful army to overthrow the Maccabees, the Syrian army arrived with over 40,000 soldiers to destroy them once and for all. Although Judah and his group of ragtag fighters knew it was unlikely to resist such numbers, they stood in unison together as they exclaimed to one another: “Let us fight unto death in defense of our souls and our Temple!” And against all odds, the Maccabees were victorious once more.
In 139 BC, the Maccabees were able to enter the Temple, remove all of the pagan idols that filled its walls, and were able to make a new alter and Menorah. As the story goes, they could only find a small container of one day’s worth of pure olive oil to light the candles of the Menorah, but by God’s grace the Menorah remained burning for eight days until additional oil had arrived. What happened was truly a series of miracles leading up to God’s people finally rededicating the Temple.
Purpose
Chanukah is a holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of the oil. It’s a time of joy and celebration in remembrance of how Adonai divinely intervenes and how light cannot be overcome by darkness. Indeed, the God who is Light has shown himself in a period of significant silence, revealing that he is the one all-powerful King.
It is true: Adonai is a faithful God who does the impossible to provide for his children and make a way. Even amidst utter hardship and suffering, God is near and continues to free those who are under the heavy yoke of oppression.
At the center of the Chanukah celebration is the lighting of the eight candles of the Menorah, representative of the eight days in which the oil miraculously did not run out. Special dishes are also cooked in oil during this holiday as a further embrace of the significance of oil.
Throughout the Scriptures, pure olive oil is an image and symbol of the Spirit of God — his presence, healing power, light, and anointing among us. Lighting each candle and eating oily foods is an embodied reminder of what God has done and his closeness to our lives today.
Additionally, a part of the Chanukah celebration includes a playful reenactment of the Maccabean Revolt, characterized by dress-up and pretend swords, as well as the giving and receiving of gifts.
Fulfillment
The story of Christ’s visit to Solomon’s Colonnade during Chanukah reveals an interesting parallel to the message of Chanukah itself.
As Yeshua walked about the Temple, we are told that Judeans came to him and asked, “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us publicly!” (John 10:24)
God’s people were again under the heavy hand of manmade Empire — this time, it was the Roman Empire. While the Zealots sought to fight back and the Pharisees sought religious purity, all Jews (in one way or another) longed for a Messiah to return, victoriously overcome their oppressor, and liberate Jerusalem.
Unfortunately, they had also fallen enslaved to the ways of man, sin, and idols. Just like the empires they so desperately wanted to distance themselves from, the Jews had also stumbled into darkness.
In one of Yeshua’s previous visits to the Temple during Pesach (Passover), he drove out money-changers and those selling animals, seeking to purify his Father’s Temple. It was his aim to bring light to it one final time before giving himself up as a sacrifice in the greatest of battles against sin, death, and hell. It is written that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not suppressed it” (John 1:5), for Christ truly is the perfect light of the Temple whose Holy Spirit oil never goes out.
Unlike the Maccabees who fought with swords, our Christ arrived as a meek and lowly king, extending a kind of spiritual freedom and inaugurating an altogether different kingdom than Adonai’s people were expecting. While those who live by the sword die by the sword, and while their empires rise and fall, our Savior has established for himself a government that has no end. His is a land overflowing with miracles and unending provision — the perfect fulfillment of Chanukah.
Needs for Chanukah:
A Menorah and candles
Olive Oil in small cups
A Bible
Gifts
Costumes/ prompts for Chanukah reenactment
Other items may be necessary depending on selected activities
Modern Liturgical Adaptation
Evening at Sundown (Can be repeated in variation each of the 8 days)
Matriarch, or Household Leader (turn off all the lights and light the number of candles that aligns with that particular day of Chanukah):
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His mitzvahs, and has called us to kindle this Chanukah light. You have performed miracles for our forefathers in those days of old, as you have continued to do so today. Adonai, you have granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion once again.
Leader:
FO Lord, you who ever illuminates our path and ever provides for us along this journey of life, we fix our gaze upon you, searching for a glimpse of your face in the warm flicker of each candlelight.
You have done great things among us, from generation to generation, miraculous things too deep and inexplicable for words.
Worthy are you, Adonai, and worthy to be praised!
Even in our fear, and shame, and despair, and anger, you have remained faithful, extending to us the warmth of liberation amidst the Empires of man. Great Messiah, you have shown yourself as the one true and righteous king, strong yet meek, mighty yet compassionate and humble.
Your glory is undying, O God, for even the darkness is not dark to you. Indeed, there is no shadow in your luminescence.
Yet Father, we must confess, how often our jaded souls have pulled us back into the shadows. Even in the brightness of your splendor, we have regularly allowed our light to grow dim.
We have torn down idols, yet we have built them back up. We have sought to love our enemies, yet we have also made war with them.
O King, ever merciful and patient, lead our hearts along the path of repentance, that we might enter this time of celebration with unity in your Holy Spirit.
You have called us your Temple, Adonai, the dwelling place of your sh’khinah presence. Just as the oil of your Menorah never ran out in your ancient Temple, so too find us your children overflowing with the pure oil of your anointing. Like the five bridesmaids who came prepared with flasks of oil, might you also find us ready as we await the wedding feast.
Even amidst the weariness of overwhelming trauma and injustice and oppression, we hold fast to the joy that you are always with us and that your kingdom has no end. We remember this miraculous moment of Chanukah today, as it is a foreshadowing of eternity.
As John shared from his revelation on the island of Patmos: “I saw no Temple in the city, for Adonai, God of heaven’s armies, is its Temple, as is the Lamb. The city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s presence gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. Its gates will never close, they stay open all day because night will not exist there.”
Yes, Lord, you are the one, true, and everlasting light. Would your nearness shine on us now, lighting the way and warming our hearts.
[Oil Ritual]
Pass around or set out small cups of olive oil, have each person either make a cross on their own forehead with the oil or let the leader (or another person in the group) do so.
Leader (after oil ritual):
The light shines in the darkness.
Response:
And the darkness has not overcome it.
[Repeat call and response 3 times]
Leader:
Amen.
[Reenactment of the Chanukah Story]
[Dinner]
Possible Discussion Questions During Dinner
In what ways does the Church today need to be purified like the ancient Temple?
What stories come to mind of when God miraculously provided for and sustained you?
Where do you see oppression persisting today? What might it look like to show the Messiah to those who are suffering?
In what areas of your life are you longing for a Savior? What thoughts, beliefs, and feelings come up when you see God showing up in a different way than you had hoped for or expected?
What might it look like to ready your spirit with flasks of oil? (See Matthew 25)
How does the light of Christ and his Kingdom extend deliverance to a world in darkness?
Prayer after Meal
Leader:
Praise to You, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who has brought us together in the light and sanctuary of your presence. Your oil sustains us and will never run out. We are sealed in you. May we ever walk in your way, Yeshua. Amen.
[A Time of Gift Giving, Playing Games, Chanukah Reenactment & Giving Money to the Poor]
Texts to consider reading:
Psalm 30
Psalm 113-118 (Hallel - Psalms of Praise)
John 10
Possible songs to sing:
Make Us Ready by Harvest Bashta
Light Came Down by Josh Garrels
Everlasting Light by Mosaic MSC
God of Angel Armies by Chris Tomlin
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Here I Am To Worship
[Throughout the 8-days of Chanukah, explore different activities and traditions that can be practices communally and as a family]
Pick one to three activities from the following list to enter into the spirit of Chanukah:
Light the Menorah each of the eight nights
Eat festive foods cooked in oil, such as latkes
Recite the Hallel prayer each day and include V'Al HaNissim
Recite Psalm 30
Play a game of Dreidel (a spinning toy with a different letter on each of its 4 sides, functioning as an acronym that stands for: “A Great Miracle Happened There.”)
Set aside money to give to children
Give money to the poor or a ministry or nonprofit you support
Have a time of singing
Have children create costumes and props from the Chanukah story
Reenact the Chanukah Story with the children (use a book such as The Story of Hanukkah as a guide)