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Chag ha•Oo•rim, God’s People And The Light of the World

Chag ha•Oo•rim, God’s People And The Light of the World

Last updated on: December 16, 2023 at 5:01 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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Chag ha•Oo•rim, God’s People And The Light of the World 2023-12-16T17:01:50-05:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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As Christmas nears, there has been an all-out war in conservative politics. The endless arguing over the southern border and helping our friends in Ukraine fight against the darkness has overshadowed the Christmas season.

Divided House

Image by Pixabay.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of giving and being a light, unfortunately, many conservatives have forgotten what it means to be the light of the world. The power struggle amongst conservatives has crippled Congress. they have forgotten what traditional conservative values are.

Family
Community
Morality

We see the age-old battle between light and darkness playing out within the same political party at Christmastime. Jesus warned a house divided will not stand (Matthew 12:25.)

We cannot be in the light and practice darkness. The late Martin Luther King wisely noted, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The church is called to be a city on a hill and a people of hope (Matthew 5:14,) if we are God’s people.

God’s People

As God’s people, we cannot compartmentalize our lives and practice our faith only during the holidays or when it is convenient for us, we are either the light or part of the darkness.

We cannot accept the parts of Jesus’ teachings we like and disobey the teachings we don’t like; if we love Him, we will obey all of His teachings (John 14:15.) Obeying God is a basic Jewish teaching for God’s people to be set apart from the world (Deuteronomy 28:1, Ecclesiastes 12:13.) This is how God separates His people from the darkness.

Solar eclipse

Image by Pixabay

Jesus taught His followers to always let their light shine (Matthew 5:15-16.) We cannot bring out our faith like Christmas holiday lights just for others to see for a season. We are called to live our lives and walk in the light every day, not just during the holidays.

Chag ha•Oo•rim

As Hanukkah comes to an end, I want to look at another name for our dedication to God. The Jewish festival of lights emphasizes the origin of Hanukkah; the jar of oil that was found in the Holy Temple after it was desecrated by the Greeks miraculously kept the Temple lamp lit for eight days. The oil should have only lasted one night, but its light burned much longer. Chag ha•Oo•rim means Festival of light or lights (U•rim) since the menorah has nine candles.

However, we don’t get to stop being the light as God’s people, just because the celebration is over, we must continually work at being the light and fighting the darkness. This celebration is a lot like a Jewish wedding celebration; both celebrate a new beginning and reference the light.

It is common for Jewish weddings to include the lighting of a menorah to symbolize this devotion to each other and God. The work of marriage only begins with the celebration. Below are some common activities of a traditional Jewish wedding.

Aufruf
Fasting
Ketubah Signing
Bedeken
The Walk to the Chuppah

The festival is a celebration and symbolic of a couple becoming one and walking in the light for the rest of their lives, the celebration itself often lasts for days. And this is the analogy the New Testament uses to describe the relationship between Jesus and the church.

Celebration

Image by Pixabay

When Jesus taught His followers to be ready for His return, He used the example of a wedding ceremony (Matthew 25:6- 46.) We don’t have the opportunity to live foolishly while waiting for our Lord’s return, we must continue to shine our light in this dark world.

Shine Bright

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the wedding celebration in the book of Revelation (Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation 21:2.) Here we see the glowing bride who has prepared for the bridegroom.

New Jerusalem

Image by Pixabay

If you’ve ever been to a wedding, you’ve seen the light in a bride’s face. Her dedication has finally borne fruit. The light is seen as the New Jerusalem descends to the earth. God’s people must live changed lives to shine bright.

Be generous
Serve others
Hate Evil

As I write this, MAGA has suffered another defeat as one of their lawyers must pay a hefty price for his constant lying and corruption. The Bible is clear we cannot practice darkness and shine bright (John 3:19-21, 1 John 1:6-7.) God’s people are called to avoid the darkness and celebrate the light.

Jewish

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Christmas, Hanukkah And the Darkness

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December 20, 2023 God’s People, Chôshek And The Darkness of The World

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