Grandson Brady told us his last final at the University of Georgia was on Thursday night and he’d be driving home on the Friday morning before Christmas.
At some point, between his homecoming and Christmas, Brady, brother Greyson, and my wife, Mary Ella, “Meme” to the boys, renewed their holiday tradition of baking Christmas cookies.
They started when the boys were three and four years old, respectively. Even though it’s long been a part of our holiday celebration, we still were filled with anticipation and expectation!
“Listen!” says Jesus. “I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
— Revelation 22: 12-14
Happy are those who wash their robes clean and so have the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life and to go through the gates into the city.
It began in the garden of Eden and will end in the restored garden of Eden.
But right now, we’re living in some world with, according to Jonathan Cahn, 33,333,000 gods created by eastern religions and re-created for our western world. If you take the population of New York City (8,260,000) and multiply it by 3.5, you’ll have some idea about the number of gods in our culture.
But only one of them loves you, only one of them will hear your prayers, only one of them died for you or forgave your sins, only one of them rose from death to give you eternal life because only one of them is real.
They are all, save one, the fake creations of a lost and dying world.
But we worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We worship a God who loves you, hears and answers your prayers, died for you and forgives your sins, and rose from the grave to give you eternal life.
We worship a God who is real, the God who created heaven and earth, and us.
And so, we’ll celebrate Jesus’ birthday on December 25. It’s also the first day of the Jewish Hanukkah, meaning dedication, which is both an eight-day celebration of the re-dedication of the second temple in Jerusalem and the Jewish “festival of lights.”
It begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev — this year on December 25 — with Jewish families lighting one candle in their menorah each day through January 2.
There’s only one place in the Bible where the Jewish festival of Hanukkah is celebrated and you might be surprised to discover it’s in the New Testament in John.
“It was winter, and the Festival of the Dedication of the Temple was being celebrated in Jerusalem.”
— John 10: 22
Jesus is standing in the temple surrounded by people asking him when God will come and bring them the promised light. Jesus responds with the message of Christmas from Luke and Revelation by saying, “I am the light!”
Charles “Buddy” Whatley is a retired United Methodist pastor serving Dawson Street Methodist Church in Thomasville, Ga. With wife, Mary Ella, they are missionaries to the Navajo Reservation.
