joyancejames

Tag: christmas

  • Hanukkah & Yeshua

    I feel compelled to write about Hanukkah, since in the light of recent events, this Jewish festival has become famous. Hanukkah is also referred to as the Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights. Although this feast is not directly mentioned in the Old Testament (in Leviticus) where all the other feasts were described (apart from Purim, in Esther), Jesus observed this celebration, hence it is pertinent, as His followers, we understand its significance. 

    Hanukkah or Chanukah (חנוכה) are both accepted English spelling for the Hebrew word which means to dedicate or inaugurate. Feast of Dedication commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt. The events are mentioned in the apocryphal book of Maccabees, the feast was instituted B.C. 164 to commemorate the purging of the temple after its pollution by Antiochus Epiphanes (B.C. 167), and the rebuilding of the altar after the Syrian invaders had been driven out by Judas Maccabaeus. The Talmud (rabbinical writings) tell us that a 7 lamp Menorah was lit which burned miraculously for a week, hence the celebration lasts for 8 days.

    Festival of Lights & the Light of the World

    Many biblical historians place Jesus’ birth in September rather than December. Around the feast of tabernacles (Sukkot), when the people remember God’s dwelling and presence in the wilderness. In that case the “Light of the world”, Yeshua would have been conceived around the “Festival of lights” or Hanukkah. If you believe in December birth then the “Light of the world” was born during Hanukkah!  Either way, God is a God of details, but  since ‘When’ is not as important as ‘Who’, so we’ll defer the debate.

    John 10:22 NLT
    [22] It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.
    https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.10.22.NLT
    Here we see Jesus observing the feast and in the temple grounds where He was cornered as asked point blank if He was the long-awaited Messiah. Expecting a quick fix to their nationalistic trials they missed His vision for the eternal fix. Their hunger for the Messiah led them to Him during the Hanukkah, but they didn’t recognise their Messiah. They missed out due to the mismatch between their expectations and God’s provision!

    So many times the answers we seek may not be the answers we get because our near-sightedness will never comprehend eternal significance. 

    Even as Jews celebrate the temple dedication and Christians celebrate the birth of Yeshua, let’s remember that we are the temples and His Holy Spirit resides in us.

    Happy Hanukkah!

    Happy Christmas! 

  • The promise of joy & peace

    The shepherds were minding their own business in the cool of the night when the angel announced to them, “don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
    Luke 2:10 NLT
    The birth of the Messiah and the Savior will cause joy for all people.
    “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
    Luke 2:14 NLT

    The angels announced joy and peace to them and to us today.
    Joy that is not circumstantial because it’s source isn’t earthly, peace that is not dependent on external calmness or serenity rather it depends on the presence of Jesus.

    This Christmas season may we find our joy and peace as we put our faith in Jesus.
    Let me pray this verse over you,
    “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
    Romans 15:13 NLT

    https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.15.13.NLT

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmmANTxqKRQ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    Wishing a blessed Christmas and a Happy New year 2023 Joy & Peace and Faith. Joyance, Shalom and Charis-Faith.

    Joy + Peace + Faith

  • He moved into our neighborhood!

    The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
    John 1:14 MSG

    The first Christmas God moved into our neighborhood and our world changed for the better. Since then He hasn’t left us alone.
    We look forward to a future when this will repeat and the world we see about us will be changed forever. John the apostle after seeing a vision about our final destination writes this in the last book of the Bible:-
    I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”
    Revelation 21:3‭-‬5 MSG

    The first time He moved in like a helpless baby born in an obscure town of Bethlehem, but we look forward to a time when He moves in with all His glory and splendor in the New Jerusalem.
    The first Christmas was a reminder that God is with us, the promise of Immanuel. He promised and gave us the Holy spirit (John 14) which is a guarantee of the future to come.

    In this world we will have troubles, hearts will ache, bones will break, but because of Immanuel, we have a future when He’ll wipe every year and remove every pain and the glory of the Son will obscure the light of the sun.


    God bless and have a blessed Christmas! 