Did you know that Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, can actually help parents raise Christian kids?
The eight-day, 2,000-year-old holiday, also called the Festival of Lights, celebrates God’s glory, an ancient victory of the Jews over their enemies, and the freedom Jews enjoy today.
The story of Hanukkah begins in strife. Antiochus, a Greek king of Syria, marched with an army of soldiers into the kingdom of Judea, home to many Jews. He insisted that the Jews worship the Greek gods rather than the one God they worshipped. When the Jews refused to worship the Greek gods, the soldiers attacked the Temple in Jerusalem and killed countless Jews. They stole holy objects. They even stole the sacred lamp, called the menorah, that stood before the altar. The lamp’s flame, which always burned brightly, went out. That had never happened before. Special oil stored in small containers called cruses was always used to keep the flame alive. The soldiers dumped the oil all over the floor. As a last insult, they let pigs roam in the Temple.
The king returned to his own country, but the soldiers stayed on. They did not respect the Jewish Temple. They brought food and drink in, played noisy games, and shouted and laughed there. Jews could not say their prayers in the Temple.
One older man, Mattathias, wanted to fight to take back the Temple. He went with his five sons into the wilderness, where other families joined them. The men began to fight the enemy anywhere and in any way they could.
One of the first tasks of the Jews was to clean up the Temple. They restored the holy lamp — the menorah — but found only enough clean and holy oil to last one day. Yet the flames of the menorah burned steadily for eight days. With each passing day, the flames grew brighter.
From then on, every year at that time, Jews have celebrated with the Festival of Lights. Candles are lit at sundown for eight nights in a row. Today’s menorahs have nine branches; the ninth branch is for the shamash, or servant light, which is used to light the other eight candles.
Read aloud from one of the popular children’s books about Hanukkah:
- For children age 3-6, Hannukah!, written by Roni Schotter
- For children age 7-9, The Story of Hanukkah, written by Amy Ehrlich
- For ages 9 and up, the chapter book Light Another Candle, written by Miriam Chaikin
Lastly, create a Noah’s Ark Hanukkah Card or play with a dreidel – kids love games! Or, attend a Messianic Temple as a family!
Get a cup of coffee, take about ten minutes to recharge your batteries, and equip your mind so you can raise warriors for Christ that will stand firm in the face of evil! Occasionally, we will be giving away free books – so stay tuned! My team and I are here to serve you all for the glory of our Lord!