The Feast of Dedication- It's in the Bible!

Did you grow up celebrating The Feast of Dedication? I didn't and I grew up in a Christian home. My husband hadn't either and was even less likely to as he grew up in a secular home. Or... was he less likely to? We, like many other Christians, are just now beginning to learn and celebrate this Biblically historical holiday.

I had seen pictures of Menorahs around... here and there... when growing up. I never knew anything about that interesting candlestick though. When something is so foreign to one, it may seem a bit odd and we may conjure up incorrect ideas on the part of ignorance.

When I became aware of The Feast of Dedication, most commonly known as Hanukkah, it had been presented to me differently than what it really is about. In fact, when having read about The Feast of Dedication in John 10:22-42, it never occurred to me to know exactly what it was, why Jesus was even there, and what his statement about being the "Light of the world" had to do with any of this Jewish celebration.

So, no, we are not Jewish in our family. Yes, we are Christians. So... you may be wondering why are Christians celebrating Hanukkah? Well, in short, our family sees the significance. We have also been learning how each piece in the Temple typifies Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew). It's amazing!

What does a Hanukkah celebration look like? Well, for our family, we celebrate it by recalling the Mighty Work of God when He used the small band of Macabees to defeat the Greco-Syrian soldiers- a tremendous military- and rededicated the Temple to Yahweh! We are thankful that the Jews were saved- how else would the prophecy of our Savior Yeshuah Messiah come to fruition? We study, we light candles, we praise God!! It's purely about God... about Jesus...

At Our Church (Assembly)...

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

^"35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

³⁶ While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them." John 12:35-36

We sing praises to the One True God of the Bible for all He has done. We look forward to our Savior's return. We anticipate the House of Israel being restored, as the Bible foretells. This Jewish Feast, like the Lord's Feasts found in Leviticus 23, teaches us about God's Providential Hand and also teaches us of foreshadows... They truly teach us to keep our eyes on Yeshua... and to keep watch.

At Home:

We have yet to purchase our first official Menorah. So, we use this in the meantime...

We do crafts and projects while we talk with our children about the significance of this celebration. It's a national holiday for Israel... kind of like how our American Thanksgiving Day is for us. It falls on different dates each year because the Hebrew calendar is different than the calendar most of us go by today (sometimes November... sometimes December)...

This play dough recipe has been around for years and it's my favorite! You know how kids like to have something *to do* while listening? I made up some play dough with Hanukkah colors for them. 

{Click photo to enlarge.}

• The idea of play dough is that He is the Potter and we are the clay. We want to rededicate ourselves, to let Him shape us... 
• Peppermint Blue: the fragrance of peppermint is invigorating. I chose this to symbolize how invigorating the Power of God is! 
• Lavender in Silver: the fragrance of lavender is comforting. I chose this to symbolize the comfort we find in Him alone- He is faithful and unchanging!
• Sparkly White: This symbolizes our temples (our bodies), keeping them pure and dedicating them to God (Yahweh).

We Listen To...

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Why Should I Be Afraid?

Messiah to Hebrew Dancing

I love this song by Twila Paris! And I especially love it to the Hebrew dancing!! Isn't it choreographed beautifully? This is such a picture of us dancing before our King when He returns. 

Looking forward to His return... keeping our eyes on him without worldly distractions vying for our attention...

There is always something to learn...

Reminders...

Reflection...

Examining myself to see if I am in the faith...

Rededicating...

Blessings!

Heather