Celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas

One of the major differences between chaplains and pastors is that, while pastors are committed to serving their churches and religious traditions, chaplains are committed to serving everyone regardless of their religious perspective (even atheists). Even though most of us are Christians, we are a multireligious nation and some of the different religious customs parallel those of Christianity.

Christmas is a special time of the year for Christians as they celebrate the birth of Jesus, God’s only son. Although our business world has almost swallowed up the heart of Christmas so that many people now only say “Happy Holidays,” Jesus remains “The Reason for the Season” and true Christians focus upon his birth and what it means. Christians do emphasize gift-giving in recognition of God’s gift to humanity, but they do not forget that it is Jesus who is “the way, the truth, and the life” and the biblical assertion that only Jesus provides the way for salvation and the gift of eternal life.

Having affirmed the centrality of Christ in Christmas, it also is important to recognize that another very important religious tradition is also occurring at almost the same time. For Jewish people, the “Festival of Lights” or Hanukkah always occurs on the 25th of Kislev (Jewish calendar). Since it is based upon the lunar cycle, Hanukkah occurs sometime in November or December each year — this year on Dec. 12.

The history of Hanukkah resides in a miracle which took place sometime during the second century B.C. Following the death of Alexander the Great, his successor, Antiochus III allowed the Jews to continue with most of their religious customs and traditions. However, such was not the case when his son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, took over. He immediately abolished Judaism, took over the temple in Jerusalem and erected an idol on the altar (the abomination that makes desolation). Of course, this infuriated the Jews and they rebelled. When a soldier commanded Mattathias, a priest living in Modein (about 12 miles northwest of Jerusalem) to sacrifice a pig on the altar, he refused and killed the soldier, thus kicking off the Maccabean Wars. He and his five sons began a guerrilla warfare that lasted for three years.

When the Maccabees reclaimed Jerusalem and the temple after about three years, they discovered that there was only enough oil left to light one lamp for one day. However, after much prayer, they discovered that the oil lasted for eight days, thereby giving them enough time to make a fresh batch of kosher oil for lighting a menorah. Hanukkah was created to celebrate and to remember this miracle.

Today, the nine-candle menorah is the centerpiece of Jewish worship during this “Festival of Lights.” Eight of the candles represent the eight days of burning the “oneday” amount of oil provided. The ninth candle, called Shamash (servant), is used to light the other eight candles, one a day throughout Hanukkah. One candle is lit each day as the Jewish people remember the miracle that took place in the temple a long time ago.

Like Christmas, today Hanukkah has evolved into other customs. Normally, there is gift-giving on each day of Hanukkah (something, I’m sure, the children relish); and following the lighting of each candle, there is the celebration of delicious food (much of which is deep-fried in oil). With such parallel customs, sometimes people fail to distinguish between Christmas and Hanukkah, but I can assure you that dedicated people of both faiths know the difference.

Enjoy Christmas and Hanukkah, and may the Spirit of God who created both bless you with His presence and blessing.

P.S. My apologies to my Jewish friends if I have not been faithful to the tradition of Hanukkah.

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