Hanukkah 2010
December 1-9, 2010
We celebrate Hanukkah instead of Christmas. Click here if you would like to know the story of Hanukkah. I do not celebrate Christmas because I choose to worship JESUS in pureness and in truth, HE deserves that, and so much more. Through my studies I have discovered that Dec. 25th is not the birthday of JESUS . From the calculations of the priestly courses they have figured out that JESUS was more than likely born during the Feast of Tabernacles. Dec 25th was a pagan holiday, and in order to hopefully persuade the pagans to convert to Christianity they told them to change the wording of their holiday from "birth of the sun god" to "birth of the son of GOD". Funny how three little letters being changed, flawed the minds of millions of Christians for 2000 years, but that is how satan works I suppose...here a little and there a little changing things to deceive the very elect.
I do want to add that although I do not agree with the misled idea of the holiday, I do thank GOD for all of the love and good will that is done during this season all in the name of CHRIST. Love is the most important thing you can give or receive as a gift. But you do have to admit it becomes more carnal and commercial with each passing year and the love that was once the focal point of the season has all but been lost.
Now that I have told my reasons and added links so you can fully understand, I will talk about what we did for Hanukkah.
Tradition is to decorate in blue. I love the blue in the house, it makes it look like a winter wonderland. It is crisp and pure and clean feeling. We bought all kinds of blue candles and candle holders to line the center of our table, an idea I saw on a video online. We wrapped some foam board in blue snowflake paper and set my new square clear glass dishes on them and added the blue drinking glasses for a wonderful accent. We hung blue and white star lights which makes the room glow. It is very beautiful and peaceful.
NIGHT ONE
We waited until it was dark outside and lit the first candles on the Menorah while saying the blessings in my best Hebrew and then in English.
Another tradition is to cook fried foods to remember the oil lasting the eight days. For the first night we made funnel cakes for our nightly dose of "oil".
We read the first part of the Story of Hanukkah called "Under Syrian Rule". The last part left them in suspense begging to know what it was that he saw that scared him out of the Temple.
Then I talked about how the Holy Temple is no longer standing in Jerusalem, GOD left it that way because now the Temple is our bodies {1Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?} and the Holy Ghost lives inside of us and no longer needs a building made by human hands. In the days before JESUS, the Holy Temple had been defiled by the pagans which was an abomination before GOD. The profane had been mixed with the Holy. I told them how everyday we sin and allow profane things in our life and that defiles our Temple and these should be cleaned out by a heart felt repentant prayer. Hanukkah gives us a chance to re-dedicate ourselves to GOD, just as the priests had to re-dedicate the Temple so long ago. It gives us a special day to remember that our Temple needs to be Holy and clean for GOD. I believe we should think this everyday, but this just makes an extra special gesture, almost like making a New Year's resolution, and since Hanukkah occurs right before the New Year it seems to all work together very nicely.
My Pastor often talks about the seven parts of ourselves that need to be fully given to GOD. We need to serve GOD with all our mind, body, soul, spirit, strength, heart, and life. So what I do is take one part each night and discuss how we can use that part for the glory of GOD.
The first night we discussed dedicating our mind to GOD.
Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
We have open discussion about the nights topic and then pray that GOD helps us to fully dedicate that individual part of our self to HIM.
We then pull out our nights craft project. Tonight we made glitter Stars of David, representing the flag of Israel.
NIGHT TWO
Waiting until dark we turn on all our Hanukkah lights and light the second light on the Menorah. We choose to have fried chicken for the oil tradition part and our special dessert was pumpkin pie and cheese cake. The cheese cake is the traditional part, in honor of the story of Judith, which is said to have happened during the Maccabean Revolt leading up to the first Hanukkah.
Before our reading for tonight everyone was wanting to know what it was that the man saw in the Temple. It was not told in the story online so I went and looked it up in the 2 Maccabees 3:25 KJV w/Apocrypha. I won't post what he saw but follow the links and you can find out too. Then we read the second part of the "Story of Hanukkah" called "The Madman."
The next part of our Dedication was to dedicate our body. We talk about how we must follow this scripture.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
We discuss ways that our body could be a living sacrifice, like dressing modestly and not "tarnishing our Temple" with drugs and such. We pray for GOD to help us to always remind us that our body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost and that we must treat it as such.
Then we then have a snowman craft. There is no Hanukkah tradition there, just winter fun. Austin put his snowman on a skateboard. Anna's snow-lady ended up on a snowboard with a snow-baby. Adam's was on a sled with a snow-baby. Stewart's snowman was skiing, and mine looked like it was all jack-up on mountain dew with his googly eyes. They all looked lovely on entertainment center with the lights shining.
NIGHT THREE
Today was out of sorts because we had to make a trip to the store and ate while we was in town so we did not have our Hanukkah meal for tonight. I did add a string of bead lights to the table, I thought it was beautiful shining among the glass candles.
We read our third part of our story called the "The Martyrs." And also the story of "Hannah and Her Seven Sons" because it gave us a good look at what the Jewish people had to go through when they were martyred.
Our Dedication for tonight was our soul.
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
But what is our soul? Webster defines it as this:
SOUL, n.
1. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the Christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection.
We talk about how to give GOD our soul by doing HIS will for us and not our own.
We pray that GOD helps us to let go of our desires and to lead our soul down the path of righteousness.
The kids had so much fun making snowmen last night they begged that the craft for tonight be that they can make a snowman "scene", so I say OK. Austin is busy sculpting two blocks of Styrofoam into a hill for the skiing snowmen while Anna and Adam get busy making all kinds of snow-people. Adam has to show me with his own body each position he is putting the snow-people in.
Night Four
On night four, we had our big meal with my family because it was a Saturday night. We decorated the long tables we use for gatherings.
We didn't read from our online story but instead I told a quick version of the whole story of Hanukkah so the family would understand what it was all about and I explain what we do to dedicate our selves. We had a nice meal of brisket and potatoes and peas I had canned from my garden, along with fresh yeast rolls and my chocolate cream cheese dessert. I had a small gift box for the children that had a small dreidel and some gelt for them to play the dreidel game with. After the meal and story I told them to go play with the dreidel. They all seemed to enjoy playing and it also gave them a small token to take home to remind them of the holiday.
Night Five
Night five, we read again from the Story of Hanukkah-Mattityahu. We discuss dedicating our spirit to GOD.
From a blog I read: Man’s Spirit is the means by which he has God-consciousness and is able to communicate with and have relationship with God. It is also the means by which man receives God’s will and plan for his life. Finally, it is the vehicle through which spiritual gifts are given and manifested. (1 Cor 2:10-15).
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
I liked how it was talked about in that blog so I used it for my guide. I was feeling ill so we did not do crafts, so we just had a piece of left over dessert and ended the evening early.
Night Six
Night five's reading was The Maccabees. Then we talked about giving GOD all our strength. Again using that blog for a guide it read: What does it mean to love Jesus with all your Strength? This means many things. First it means giving Your Body to Jesus and allow Him to use it for His glory and to bring others to Him. Second, it means that once You know how you can best be a light and witness of Jesus’ love and forgiveness applying all your strength, energy, heart and mind to that end.
I was still feeling ill and again cut the evening short.
Night Seven
Man’s Heart, the essence of his soul, is the part of man which decides how he will respond to what he has learned through his spirit, soul and body; through his mind, through gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, through the promptings of his conscience, and through his emotions. It is the volitional part of man.
To love Jesus with all our Heart means to turn our volition to serve him with all our talents and abilities to the end of bringing others to Jesus. When we do this, we are loving Jesus with all our heart. We are also loving Jesus with all our heart when we exercise our volition to obey Him in anything else He tells us to do concerning any detail of our lives.
I was feeling much better so we made cut out cookies for our craft. The best kind of craft is edible ones. I tried my hand at shaping out a Menorah cookie but it ended up looking like a wine glass. I will leave it up to them to decorate it to look like one. Tomorrow we will decorate.
We had a dessert of home-made Pecan Pie.
Night Eight
The last night of Hanukkah and I wanted it to be special. We cooked a turkey and dressing and I finally got to try to cook some latkes or potato pancakes which is a Jewish traditional food.
After a big meal we read the last part of our Hanukkah Story- After Chanukah and we talked about dedicating our life to GOD as a whole.
The came time to decorate the cookies. The kids had a blast doing this part. Seems to me there was a lot of finger licking going on.
They show off one of their cookies. Adam did pretty good on making my "wine" glass into a Menorah. Anna's ginger bread house is pretty drippy. Austins snowflake looked a bit hypnotic. Even Stewart got into "painting" the enormous snowman I made out of the last bit of cookie dough.
It was always a tradition in my home as a child that mom would cut out a cookie shape of our hand, so in turn, I do the same with my children. It is their favorite cookie, as it was mine.
I know there is still much to learn and ways I can improve our celebrations but this is all new to me and I am learning as I go what I want to bring into each holiday. When the world lets you down and there is not pure true holy worship or holidays or ways, the Bible is exactly where you need to turn, and that is what I did. If I was going to celebrate something I wanted it to be to the glory of GOD, but I also did not want to worship GOD with pagan way.
Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods
I do not go this route because only we was commanded to but because I love HIM and HE deserves my very best.
This is a little slide show I put together to the song "Eight Days of Hanukkah" written by Sen. Orrin Hatch.
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