Instead of rejoicing at this clear display of God's power, those who were spiritually blind-some of the religious leaders-chose to oppose it. One Sabbath day Jesus, who was the Christmas Light, healed a physically blind man. But not everyone could see the blazing light, because it illuminated the state of their hearts. This is the Christmas Light, the living Word becoming flesh, making his dwelling among us, and dazzling those with eyes to see.
#COME ON BABY LIGHT MY MENORAH WITHOUT STAR FULL#
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth ( John 1:4-5, 9-14). The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it …. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The Light I am referring to is a living Person, glimpsed as a baby in Bethlehem, but understood only by some-and often only in hindsight. Nor am I thinking about the Star of Bethlehem, which led the magi to the Christ child. No, I am not talking about the glorious heavenly host, which pointed "certain poor shepherds" to the manger. Yet Christmas talks about another Light, another Word, that not only enlightens us but searches our hearts. Without the lamp of God's Word, we will surely walk in darkness. We need the Bible's sure light on the path of life, not only so that we can avoid problems, but in order to safely reach our destination. Carrying it with us is not an optional extra in the sometimes dark world in which we live. God's Word, this psalm assures us, is like one of those lamps. Those who ventured outside at night had to take a lamp so they would not trip over a stone or step into a hole. But when the sun went down in ancient Israel, it got dark-pitch black in fact. In some of our cities, it never gets dark. We are so used to our modern electric lighting that we cannot imagine existing without it. Modern people, even those of us who love God's Word, might be tempted to gloss over this statement. "Your word is a lamp for my feet," the psalmist says, "a light on my path" ( Ps. The beautiful lights of Hanukkah shed light on the physical world, just as God's Word illuminates the spiritual world. True, it does make a cameo appearance in John 10:22 as the "Feast of Dedication." Historically a minor Jewish festival, Hanukkah has evolved into one of the most festive Jewish holidays, perhaps because of its close proximity to Christmas. Yet Hanukkah, for all its wonder, is not even a biblical holy day. The Talmud says that they had only one day's worth of oil, but the lamp miraculously stayed lit for eight days. They then cleansed and rededicated the temple, lighting the menorah for eight days as Solomon had done before. With God's help they defeated their Hellenist masters. Clearly, the survival of Judaism hung in the balance.Ī small band of Jews organized a guerrilla movement and revolted against Antiochus. Antiochus forbade circumcision and the teaching of the Torah. Antiochus had set up an altar for Zeus in the temple in Jerusalem, and even offered swine flesh on the altar. Hanukkah commemorates the astounding victory of the Jewish people over the pagan king Antiochus Epiphanes in 165 B.C.
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