Hannukah starts at sundown tonight. These eight days celebrate the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. A ritual associated with this season is the lighting of the nine-branched menorah. Each night one candle is used to light an increasing number of candles until all are lit on the last day of Hannukah.

Some Christians also light candles during the season of Advent which started Sunday. The practice appears to have started among German Christians perhaps in the 16th century. The modern Advent wreath is a Lutheran invention of the nineteenth century which spread to Roman Catholics as well by the early 20th century. The wreath has four candles with one candle being lit the first week in Advent, two in the second week, and so forth until all four are alight.

I suspect use of candles in Judaism and Christianity in December is partly inspired by the diminishing amount of day light as winter approaches. But there is also a spiritual dimension of light as symbolizing God’s revelation in the world.

The priest Simeon blessed the infant Jesus in the temple and called him “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Matthew said that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah who declared “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

This is the time of the year to remember the light that came into the world so that we would ever live in the darkness.

Read John 8:12 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne