The Star of David is a Christian symbol found on the list of Chrismons, but it’s best known around the world as the symbol of Judaism, the faith that Jesus himself followed and celebrated.
December is not only the season of Advent and Christmas, but of the Jewish festival of Hannukah. I was surprised to discover that Hannukah is mentioned nowhere in the Bible; its story appears in the First and Second Books of Maccabees, part of the Apocrypha. In 165 BCE Jerusalem, the Jewish priest Mattathias and his sons rebelled against persecution by restoring their damaged temple and rededicating it by lighting a sacred lamp. They had only enough oil for one night, but miraculously it lasted a full eight nights, until the oil supply could be replenished.
That light shone in the darkness and was not overcome.
Those people who walked in darkness now saw a great light. God was once again proclaiming, “Let there be light.” And then, 165 years later, the savior we call the Light of the World was born in Bethlehem. How deeply our faith traditions are intertwined!
I still remember one brief story from a previous pastor, who said that as a child he had asked his grandmother why we light candles at Christmas. Her beautifully simple answer was this: “So the darkness will know we disagree.”
This Advent, let us light our candles. Let our little lights shine. Let them shine. Let them shine.
- Claudia Mills
No comments:
Post a Comment