Grafted-In Ministries
Rediscovering the Biblical Festival of Hanukkah
“But it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter. And Yeshua was walking in The Temple on the porch of Solomon.” (John 10:22-23)
Don’t you just hate it when you loose things? You know, like your car keys, your cell phone, etc. Lost items just make you feel, well...lost! Something is missing in your life. You feel as if you’ll never have possession of that item ever again. Yet, should you find that item again, you get all excited at the chance to claim it and use it once more.
Hanukkah is an example of one of those things that has been lost and now is found. Hanukkah? You mean that Jewish holiday that takes place around Christmas? How is it lost to me? I’m a follower of Yeshua. We’ve never celebrated Hanukkah! That’s true. Most Christians have never celebrated Hanukkah, thinking that it was a Jewish holiday and taboo for Christians. The truth is, Hanukkah is a biblical holiday that’s been lost to Messianic believers for centuries, and it’s about time that followers of Yeshua not only find it, but reclaim it and celebrate it as part of our own living faith heritage.
The miracle of Hanukkah was born in the flames of the Seleucid Greek persecution of the Jews. This began three years before the first Hanukkah when the Seleucid Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, issued a series of decrees designed to eradicate the Jewish faith. The first round of anti-Jewish decrees went into force on the 3rd day of Tishrei in the year 168 BCE. These decrees are recorded in a 1st century CE document called "The Scroll of Fasting" (Megillat Ta'anit) which says:
"on the third of Tishrei... the evil Greek kingdom decreed eradication of Israel saying to them, 'deny the Kingdom of heaven' and say 'we have no portion with the God of Israel' and do not mention the name of the God of heaven on your mouths." Megillat Ta'anit, Tishrei
These initial decrees were followed with a prohibition against practicing circumcision and observing the Sabbath. Three months later, on the 25th day of Kislev, the Greeks re-dedicated the Jerusalem Temple as a sanctuary to the sun-god Apollo, sacrificing pigs on the altar. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, and it led to a Jewish uprising.
After three years of fighting, the Maccabees liberated the Temple, tore down the defiled altar, and on the third anniversary of its defilement dedicated a new one. To this day, the full name of the holiday is Hanukkat Ha-Mizbe'ach, Dedication of the Altar, in memory of this event. The real miracle of Hanukkah is the victory of a band of ill-equipped and untrained farmers and priests defeating a world super-power that tried to force them to eat pig, give up circumcision and the Sabbath, and forbade them to utter the name of our heavenly Father Yehovah.
Barney Kasdan, author of Elohim’s Appointed Times, recounts that “Of particular importance to them was the broken menorah, symbolizing the light of Elohim. They restored it and attempted to light it, but there was a problem.
Jewish tradition recounts that as they searched for some specially prepared oil, they found only enough to burn for one day. The priests knew it would take at least eight days for new oil to be produced. What to do?
They decided it was better to light the menorah anyway; at least the light of Elohim would shine forth immediately. To their amazement, the oil burned not only for one day, but for eight days until additional oil was available.”
The problem with this wonderful miracle is that it never happened. It is a pure work of fiction invented after the Temple was destroyed. It is not mentioned in a single source that pre-dates the Destruction of the Temple. To this day, the full name of the holiday of Hanukkah (Dedication) is Hanukkat Ha-Mizbe'ach, which means "Dedication of the Altar". After the Romans destroyed the altar in 70 CE, the rabbis invented the miracle of the oil to give new significance to this festival.
Every year afterwards, the Jewish people celebrated the re-dedication of the Temple with the eight day festival of Hanukkah. Yeshua, being a devout Jew, made at least one trip during his ministry to the Temple for the Hanukkah celebration (John 10:22-23). Acts 2:46 records that the Early Church continued to worship regularly at the Temple in Jerusalem, so one can assume that they would also have celebrated the annual Hanukkah (Festival of Dedication) festival for a number of years before Christianity and Judaism parted ways.
So how did we loose Hanukkah? Well, as the Church became more Gentile, Christians over time jettisoned a lot of Jewish customs and holy days to avoid persecution by the Romans. You see, Jews in the Holy Land revolted against Rome in A.D. 70. Things ended badly. Jerusalem was burned. The Temple was destroyed, and Jews began to be persecuted all around the Roman Empire. Christianity, then a Messianic Jewish sect, tried to avoid the scrutiny of the Roman authorities, downplaying all things Jewish to make the Christian faith more acceptable to Roman society.
So, Hanukkah, and other biblical holidays like Purim, Yom Kippur, etc. along with most of Christianity’s Jewish roots gradually got tossed aside.
As the Church became increasingly Gentile (non-Jewish) in membership, the biblical holidays were nearly forgotten altogether. Over time, people began to think of Hanukkah as being a Jewish holiday and not a part of Christian faith and practice. Jews, meanwhile, continued to celebrate this holiday as part of their religious heritage.
The funny thing is, since Hanukkah originated after the Old Testament was written, Jews don’t have scriptural reference for it. Barney Kasdan notes “The people who normally celebrate this holy day, the Jewish people, have scant biblical reference for it; yet the people who do not normally celebrate Hanukkah have the most explicit reference to it, in the New Testament!”
The purpose of this article is to give the body of Messiah a resource to help reclaim and celebrate Hanukkah as a biblical holiday once again. Yeshua celebrated Hanukkah. You can too! We’ve lost part of our biblical heritage for too many years. Now is the time to bring it back.
Included in this article are eight devotionals that you and your family can use together each night of Hanukkah (like all Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is celebrated after sunset) when you light the menorah. Make it a special time of family worship together. Read the Scripture provided. Light the appropriate number of candles on the menorah for the evening. Then read the devotional and prayer. Finally spend a few minutes either listening to or singing praise songs appropriate for the Hanukkah celebration.
First Night of Hanukkah My Light and Salvation
“Yehovah is my light and salvation—whom shall I fear? The Yehovah is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask of Yehovah, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of Yehovah all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of Yehovah and seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon the rock. Then my head will be exalted above my enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to Yehovah.” (Psalm 27:1-6)
At the core of Hanukkah is this simple truth: Elohim is our light and salvation. When we trust in Elohim, David writes in Psalm 27, there is nothing to fear. Even when we find ourselves up against impossible odds, we can be assured that our Elohim will be with us and see us through.
Judah Maccabees understood this when he led a band of Jewish freedom fighters against the Greek armies of King Antichous who not only had taken control of Judea and Jerusalem, but who was enacting laws that abolished expressing faith in Yehovah our Elohim. He saw how the Greeks tried to strip his people, his culture of their Elohim given faith and identity. The last straw came when the Greeks dared to place and idol of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple of Yehovah. That’s when it happened, Judah led the revolt. He would not let Elohim be deleted from his world! Judah reminded the Jewish people of the Elohim who stood at their side in this conflict. “Do not fear their numbers or be afraid when they charge. Remember how our fathers were saved at the Red Sea, when Pharaoh with his forces pursued them.... [For in our victory] all the Gentiles will know that there is one who redeems and saves Israel” (1 Maccabees 4:8-11). Judah believed in Elohim’s light and salvation. We light the first candle of Hanukkah this evening proclaiming that same faith.
Dear Elohim, re-light the flame of faith in my life, so that I might trust in Your strength and salvation when I find myself up against impossible odds. I need You in my life. I need a Redeemer and Savior in my life today. Help me trust in You like the Maccabees. In your Holy Name I pray. Amen.
Second Night of Hanukkah Cleaning Out Your Temple
“Then said Judah and his brothers, ‘Behold our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” (1 Maccabees 4:36)
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from Elohim? You are not your own; you have been bought at a price. Therefore honor Elohim with your body.”
(1Corinthians 6:19-20)
Hanukkah is about cleaning. After Judah Maccabees and his band of Jewish freedom fighters won their freedom from the Greek occupation of Judea, their first priority was to go to Jerusalem and rededicate the Temple of Yehovah so that it might become a sacred space to worship Elohim once more. The only problem was it needed cleaned first. The Temple of Yehovah had been defiled by the Greeks and left in shambles.
The book of 1 Maccabees records that, “they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket... They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins. Then they rent their clothes, and mourned with great lamentation, and sprinkled themselves with ashes. They fell face down in the ground, and sounded the signal on the trumpets, and cried out to Heaven.” (1 Maccabees 4:38-40).
Why did the state of the Temple upset the Maccabees so much that they mourned as if family member had died? They grieved because they knew that there was no way they could worship Elohim with such filth and clutter. Elohim deserved better. His House shouldn’t be treated that way. His Temple is meant to be a holy place not a garbage dump. To make it fit for Elohim’s light to shine again, it had to be cleansed of the filth and clutter.
The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that as followers of Yeshua, we are to be living “temples” in which Elohim’s Spirit might dwell and shine. The problem is, too often, we let out “temples” get cluttered with so many things that we often crowd Elohim out of our lives. How can Elohim’s light shine through us when we don’t leave room for Elohim to live in us? Hanukkah reminds us that we too need to clean out the garbage from our “temples” if we want Yeshua to live in our hearts. What clutter do you need to toss out to make Elohim number one in your life today? What garbage will be the hardest to remove?
Lord Yeshua, I’m sorry for the way I let my “temple” get over run with so much clutter. As I light the candles tonight, help me cleanse my life of the filth and the grime so that Your light might shine through me again. Amen.
Third Night of Hanukkah Turning on the Light
“Then they...lighted the lamps on the lamp stand, and these gave light in the temple.” (1 Maccabees 4:50)
“You are my lamp, O Yehovah; Yehovah turns my darkness into light.” (2 Samuel 22:29)Don’t you just hate it when the power goes out at night. Suddenly, rooms that are so familiar and cozy become foreign to us as we fumble through the darkness in places that we would walk confidently when the lights are on. Those stormy nights when the lights go out seem as if they last forever. And then, just when we wonder how long we must suffer in the darkness, the power is restored, the lights come back on, and we can go back to living out our normal routines. What a difference it is to have the lights turned back on!
The Jewish people living in Greek occupied Jerusalem must have felt like they were living through a power outage. King Antichous intended to extinguish the light and faith of the conquered Jewish people when he passed laws forbidding them from worshipping Yehovah our Elohim. Yet, even in total darkness Elohim’s Word remained “a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Elohim’s people remained faithful to Scripture. It helped keep their hope and faith alive until Elohim raised up heroes who would stand up for Yehovah and fight for His name.
What a day it must have been when Judah Maccabees and the people gathered at the Temple, following their triumph over the Greeks and the time they spent cleaning and repairing the House of Yehovah. When the priests relit the Temple menorah, the light of faith turned back on. The people realized, that just as Elohim had not given up on Moses, David and Elijah, He too was with them also, and no one could extinguish the light of Yehovah our Elohim from the earth. Darkness ended. The Light prevailed. Elohim is light an in Him there will be no darkness that can have the final victory.
Tonight as you light the candles on the menorah, remember this simple truth of Hanukkah: Our faith cannot be extinguished even in the darkest of nights, because the Light of the World will always shine through the darkness.
Lord Elohim, I thank you for the faith of those who relit the candles in the Temple so many years ago. It took courage to stand up for the truth and the light of Your Word. May these glowing flames remind me tonight, that in You there is light and victory. Strengthen me with Your living Word during the dark times, when faith gets extinguished., so that I can live in the light. Amen.
Fourth Night of Hanukkah A Light That Will Not Go Out!
“So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days...”
(1 Maccabees 4:56)
“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle. This isn’t just some glib saying for positive thinkers. This is gospel truth. Elohim can and does work miracles in our lives. Yet not every miracle is a made for Hollywood moment like when Elohim helped Moses part the Red Sea during the Exodus. Some miracles may seem insignificant and get overlooked. Yet, when Yehovah’s fingerprints are seen in those moments, we ought to pause and stand in awe of Elohim’s holiness. Hanukkah celebrates one of those minor everyday miracles. The big miracle was the way Elohim helped to free His people from religious persecution. Then, came the small miracle. The one that seems almost too insignificant to mention, and yet remains central to celebrating the eight nights of Hanukkah is this: the lights in the Temple did not go out! Legend has it that when the priests relit the candles of the menorah at the rededication of the Temple in 165 B.C., that there was only enough purified oil to keep the menorah lit for one day. (It would take eight days to produce an adequate supply to keep the flame going indefinitely) Yet, the priests yearned so much for the Light of Elohim to be re-kindled in the Temple and in people’s lives, they relit it anyway. Then it happened. Elohim’s fingerprints were made visible in the simple and the ordinary. The menorah’s flame didn’t die out at the end of the first day, or the second, or the third or the fourth. In fact, it remained lit for eight days until new oil could be produced. This allowed the people to celebrate Elohim’s victory, their salvation, and the Temple’s rededication for eight days. The problem with this wonderful miracle is that it never happened. It is a pure work of fiction invented after the Temple was destroyed. It is not mentioned in a single source that pre-dates the Destruction of the Temple. To this day, the full name of the holiday of Hanukkah (Dedication) is Hanukkat Ha-Mizbe'ach, which means "Dedication of the Altar". After the Romans destroyed the altar in 70 CE, the rabbis invented the miracle of the oil to give new significance to this festival. The historical events surrounding Hanukkah are described in two historical works called 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees, written shortly after the events took place. Both of these books describe the events in excruciating detail. Both books tell the story of the liberation of the Temple but neither says a single word about the alleged miracle of the oil. Instead they give three reasons for celebrating Hanukkah for eight days. The first reason was a miracle that repeated itself in the days of Moses and Solomon, both times associated with eight days of dedication. When Moses dedicated Aaron and his sons as priests in the desert, the ceremony lasted eight days. On the eighth and final day of the dedication, a fire came out of heaven and consumed the sacrifices that Aaron and his sons offered on the altar (Lev 9:1, 24). This miracle happened again when Solomon dedicated his altar for eight days (2Chr 7:1, 9). The book of 2 Maccabees explicitly mentions this as the reason for eight days of Hanukkah. The second reason for eight days was as a sort of "Second Sukkot". In Numbers 9 it says that if someone fails to partake of the Passover sacrifice in the First Month they can observe a Second Passover in the Second Month. The Maccabees had failed to observe Sukkot while they were fighting the Greeks. As soon as they liberated the Temple, they followed the example of Numbers 9 and made up for this with a Second Sukkot, as 2 Maccabees explains: "And they celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the feast of booths, remembering how not long before, during the feast of booths, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. The big miracle was the way Yehovah helped to free His people from religious persecution. Yet it’s truth remains vital for us today as John writes in his gospel, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” Today we don’t just celebrate candles in the Temple, but the Light of the World in Yeshua Messiah our Lord. Like the candles of Hanukkah, the Light of Messiah cannot be extinguished. The cross and empty grave prove that. His light continues to burn brightly in the lives of His followers like you and me. Lord Yeshua, as I light the candles this evening, open my eyes to see Your miracles in the everyday and the ordinary. May these simple flames remind me that Your light will shine forever and not go out. Amen.
Fifth Night of Hanukkah Looking for a Hero
“But it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter. And Yeshua was walking in The Temple on the porch of Solomon. And the Judeans surrounded Him and were saying, "How long will you keep our souls in suspense? If you are The Messiah, tell us plainly." (John 10:22-24)
“Then Yeshua spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
Yeshua was at the Temple for the Festival of Hanukkah when it happened.
The religious leaders surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” They were looking for a hero. Only 195 years after the Maccabees had liberated Jerusalem from the Greeks, the country was now under Roman occupation. Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication, was a time when people looked for a Messiah, a Savior, to come and set them free. Could Yeshua be the one? Could he really?
Yeshua stood in the same Temple that Judah Maccabees had cleansed and rededicated back to the worship of Yehovah our Elohim. This was where the miracle had occurred so many years ago. People were looking for a new miracle, a new hero, a fresh anointing from Elohim for today. So are we. Our world clamors for a hero, for light to pierce through the darkness and bring rescue in these troubled times. The exciting news of Hanukkah is that our hero, our deliverance has already come!
Yeshua proclaimed to the crowds, “I am the light of the world.” He is the miracle sent from Elohim to free the captives from a darkness greater than Roman occupation: the darkness of sin and death. Yeshua came to bring light and life to all who would believe on his name. He is the hero for which we seek. Messianic Jews note that every Hanukkah menorah has a ninth candle, raised above the rest, that lights the rest of the candles each night. That candle is called the Servant Candle. That candle represents Yeshua the Messiah, who came like a servant (Philippians 2:7), and gives us the light of Elohim’s salvation. Celebrate Him, and His saving grace, when you light the candles this evening.
Lord, Yeshua, I just want to thank You during this Hanukkah season, for coming as the Light of the World. Thank You for giving all of us the “light of life.” Help me, Lord, to share Your light with those looking for heroes to dispel the darkness of our present age. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Sixth Night of Hanukkah Are You Walking in the Light?
“...Elohim is light; in him there is not darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
(1 John 1:5-7) Folks in Jerusalem had a tough choice to make after King Antichous made laws that forbade Elohim’s people from worshipping Him and living out their faith in their everyday lives. Should they give in to the king’s demands, give up their faith and fit in? Or should they stand up for Yehovah no matter what? This was a tough choice. Breaking the law could lead to imprisonment or death. Giving up one’s faith meant a life lived in peace and quiet. We face those same choices today when media and pop culture ridicule people for having faith in Elohim. Some find it easier to fit in. They may go to congregation on Sabbath, but hide that they are Yeshua’s follower identity the rest of the week so they don’t get harassed by peers at work or in school. The only problem with that is when we “walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John 1:6). Covering up our faith to fit in means, in essence, that we extinguish the Light of Messiah from our everyday lives. So how did Elohim’s people handle this choice in the time of the Maccabees? Legend has it that some of Elohim’s people chose to gather and study the Scriptures even though it was illegal. They’d gather in groups to study the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), but when Greek soldiers passed by, they’d hide their Torah scrolls and spin dreidels, so that it looked like they were gambling. This was an act of defiance even if it was done in secret. Others, like Judah Maccabees, lived their faith “in the light” and refused to give in to peer pressure at all. They chose to walk in the light no matter the cost. Hanukkah celebrates the defiant faith of Elohim’s people who choose to walk in the light of Yehovah. How do you handle this tough choice of faith? Do you choose to walk in the light or to hide your faith identity when peer pressure gets too strong? Think about those choices during these days of Hanukkah. Lord Yeshua, as I light these candles tonight, I realize that I am faced with a choice. It’s a tough choice. I thank Yehovah for the example of the Maccabees who chose to “walk in the light” even when it was unpopular. Lord, I want to be a bolder disciple in my world today. Light a flame of boldness in my life so that Your light shines forth everyday and everywhere. Amen. “No one has seen Elohim; but if we love one another; Elohim lives in us and His love is made complete in us. We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:12-14) While Hanukkah is a festive holiday celebrating light, faith and hope, it is also a holiday that is celebrated with a tinge of sadness as well. The Temple in Jerusalem, that the Maccabees liberated and rededicated and in which Yeshua our Lord celebrated the festival during his ministry, was destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70. With the Temple gone, some wonder, why celebrate Hanukkah at all. We celebrate Hanukkah today for one simple reason. We have become the living “temples” of Yehovah. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we, who have accepted Yeshua in our hearts, have become “a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you...” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as the candles were lit in the Temple by the Maccabees, to show the world that Elohim’s light and love were alive in Jerusalem, we light these candles of Hanukkah tonight to remind us that, if Elohim lives in us, then our lives need to become a place where the light of Yehovah burns brightly. Your life has been liberated by Yeshua the Messiah and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb so that you might become a living “temple” of Yehovah, where His Holy Spirit dwells. As a sanctuary of Yehovah, you are called to be the holy place where Elohim’s light and love shine brightly in this dark and troubled world. Hanukkah reminds us, that just as the Temple in Jerusalem needed to be rededicated for Elohim’s light and glory to dwell, so too we need to daily rededicate our lives to Yeshua so that the Light of the World might brightly burn within our souls. Is the Holy Spirit glowing inside of me? Have I taken the time to kindle the light of His love in my life? Do people see the light of Messiah glowing in me, and does that light cause them to worship Him? These are important questions for all of us to ask during these nights of Hanukkah. Lord Yeshua, as I light the candles of Hanukkah this evening, I do so with joy, for I want to be Your living sanctuary, where Your Spirit and glory dwells. Like the candles lit by the Maccabees so many years ago, I want to shine as a testimony of what life can be like, when Your love lives in someone like me. So, Lord Yeshua, I give You my heart and life this evening. Come live inside of me. Shine through me, and my love, so that others might be drawn to You, worship You, and give their lives to You, This is my prayer. Amen “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) One of the Jewish traditions of Hanukkah is to place their Hanukkah menorah near the windows of their homes. That way when they light the menorah each night during Hanukkah, people passing by can be reminded of the miracle of Elohim’s light and salvation. This Hanukkah tradition is reminiscent of Yeshua’ words from Matthew 5:16, “...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The light of Messiah that we have received is not for us alone. To keep Elohim’s light and salvation all to ourselves is to squander Elohim’s gift. Yeshua instructs us not to hide His light or keep it a secret from others. Instead, he instructs us to let his light and our faith shine so that “it gives light to everyone in the house,” and to everyone who passes by at school, at work, at the grocery store or the shopping mall. We are to be “the light of the world” and let Elohim’s love shine through us everywhere. How brightly is your light shining this evening? Who’s seen it shine this past week? Who needs to see it? How will you continue to kindle the flame of Elohim’s love in the days ahead? So here we are, on the last night of Hanukkah. As you kindle the final candle on the menorah, pause and remember, the faith of the Maccabees so many years ago, what cleaning it takes to make our “temples” fit for Elohim’s light to shine, the joy that comes when we let Elohim shine in our lives, that this light cannot be extinguished, and that Yeshua has come not only as our Messiah, but as the Light of the World. Because of this, we have choices to make. Will we walk in the light? Will we open ourselves to become a living “temple” for Yehovah and will we let our lights shine for all to see? These eight nights of Hanukkah are an important season of reflection. Yet, these nights of Hanukkah are only the beginning. Your “temple” needs regular inspection, cleansing and rededication to allow Elohim’s light to shine in you throughout the year. May the lessons of Hanukkah enable you to begin a deeper faith walk with Messiah Yeshua our Lord. Lord Yeshua, I thank you for these eight nights of Hanukkah. Help me, I pray, to let your light shine in my life for all the world to see. Open my eyes to see people who need Your amazing grace and challenge me to shine, even in dark places, so that Your light might give life and hope to everyone. Amen.
Make my life Your temple On this Chanukah Take my defiled altar And with every candle on the menorah Make of my mortal body
Seventh Night of Hanukkah
A Light Glowing Inside of Me
Eighth Night of Hanukkah
A Light for All to See
Lord at this season start
To pull down every idol I have raised up in my heart
On this Feast of Dedication
I dedicate myself to You
Come and cleanse and come repair
So every time I falter I can run to meet you there
That illuminates the night
Comes a prayer You’d kindle
In me Yeshua
A desire for Your fire, for Your light
A house worthy of Your name
Rid me of what’s ungodly and every hidden thing of shame
"Hanukkah": By Marty Goetz