This morning my family is experiencing yet another reminder of the broken state of our world – my paternal grandmother passed away after years of illness and brokenness in her body and mind.

This is our third Christmas in a row of loss and sadness – two years ago our family celebrated Christmas early and then traveled to Wisconsin for the funeral of my maternal grandfather. Last Christmas we were with NP’s family in Florida, knowing that it would be our last time with his mother before cancer took her from us. This Christmas we will making a sad stop in Indiana for yet another funeral.

As I told AG yesterday, I long for Jesus to come and make the bad things come untrue! How we groan for His return!

My sister wisely pointed out that for NP’s mother and our grandmother, our Christmas losses really can be turned around – while we miss them in this life, they have received the fulfillment of the greatest gift ever given! They are in the physical presence of their Savior, with all sin, brokenness, and pain forever removed from them! We do not grieve as those who have no hope.

But still, it is loss and sadness and joy and hope all intertwined. How comforting to know that He weeps with us as we wade through the yuck of a broken world. How profoundly grateful for Christmas – that God has entered our world, put on our flesh, lived among us, suffered with us, and ultimately died so that we could live.

I learned something fascinating today. Listen to these comforting words of Jesus from John 10:27-30-

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

The context of this verse is that Jesus is walking in Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple, and verse 22 points out that “the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter…”

Did you know that Hanukkah was also called ‘The Feast of Dedication?’

Jesus was actually visiting the temple in celebration of Hanukkah. Not only that, but His words were in response to the Jews’ questioning in verse 24 – “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Jesus responds in rebuke in verses 25 and 26 saying, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.”  After the verses I quoted above which end with “I and the Father are one,” the Jews pick up stones to kill Him.

As you can read in this fascinating Jews for Jesus article about Hanukkah, even the stones they intended to kill Him with were associated with the original event behind Hanukkah!

Even as gentile believers, Hanukkah can be a great time of hope and reminder of God’s presence. In a dark and broken world, Hanukkah reminds us that Jesus is the only true source of light and hope. During Jesus’ own observance of the feast of Hanukkah, He affirmed His deity so powerfully that it caused those who did not believe to want to stone Him!  Not only is He who He says He is, but He promises to us a great hope and comfort – His sheep know His voice, and no one can snatch us out of His hand.

In the midst of Hanukkah, and as we prepare for Christmas, how grateful I am that we have hope in the darkness and brokenness of our world.

Hope that God Himself has come to dwell among us, sought out a relationship with us, promised us true life even as we are “outwardly fading away.”

He renews us inwardly day by day…

And like the miraculous lights of Hanukkah, every day His light of hope and mercy is renewed in our hearts, even against all odds.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12

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