My Jewish friends invited me to celebrate Hanukkah with them this year. It was a Festival of Lights and a joyful time indeed. I joined in the singing of songs and prayers as they commemorated the historical victory of their ancestors over the Syrian Greek army, and the restoring of the menorah in the Holy Temple. My heart warmed as they recanted the story about the how the one and only vial of oil was found with just enough oil for one day, and by God's good grace it lasted for eight full days. They explained to me that is the reason Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days. I left them with a renewed since of fellowship and respect.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and most Christians worldwide will celebrate the birth of Christ. Though December 25th is not the actual day Jesus was born, it is the day set aside to celebrate His birth. We celebrate the Light coming into the world through the birth of the Christ Child. We celebrate by acknowledging the gift of God's love in the birth of His Son. As it is written in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." The true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love through the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus. In Christ we find Hope, Peace, Joy and Unconditional Love.
With eight days remaining in this year, it is my prayer that you find hope, peace, joy, and love which is encompassed in the person of Christ Jesus. I pray God's blessings upon you, that the Lord our God will remember us and at the closing of this year and the dawning of a new one, and grant us more of His unmerited favor. I pray that His mercy and unfailing love will sustain and keep you. I pray O God that from age to age we look to You as our Comforter. For in Your faithfulness You have given us the wonder of time and the fullness of life. Even when we do not acknowledge it, You grant us blessings both day and night. Bless Your children at the turning of a new year O God. And, may You fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. It is in His name that I pray.
Amen
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