We celebrate Hanukkah - the Jewish festival of lights

Review

On Sunday evening, 14 December, we met at the Burgcafé to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah together. Many people accepted our invitation, so the room was quite full.

After the welcome, we sang a few songs and worshipped our Lord. Then the Hanukkah menorah (chanukkia) was lit. First the servant candle (shamash) and with it the first of eight candles. I told the exciting story of Judas Maccabeus and his brave men. They fought against the 200-year foreign rule of the Greeks in Israel. God gave them grace and courage, and so they succeeded in driving the enemies out of the land. After that, they moved to Jerusalem, cleansed the temple and began to worship God in the temple again. From then on, Maccabeus commanded that the festival of the rededication of the temple be celebrated every year. But why does the Hanukkah festival last eight days and why is a light lit every evening? There is a legend surrounding this:

During the celebration of the rededication of the temple, it was discovered that the consecrated oil for the menorah would only last for one day. However, it takes nine days to produce new oil. So they poured the remaining oil into the menorah and prayed for a miracle. The Lord answered their prayer and the oil that was supposed to last for one day lasted for eight. After that, the newly produced oil could be refilled. For this reason, another light is lit every evening.

After listening to the story, we first fortified ourselves at the rich buffet. Everyone had contributed something, so that the table was literally ‘bursting’ with food. It was a wonderful time for encounters and conversations. After a song, Dr. Simeon Rau gave a biblical reflection on the topic: What are the connections between King Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel, 4) and Hanukkah?

After a prayer and a final song, we ended the beautiful celebration. Thank you again to everyone who came to celebrate with us and also to everyone who helped. Thank you to our Lord, who has given us such a wonderful community and sent his Son into our world to bring light to us. May His people recognise this light.

Kerstin Kluge