Today is the last day of Hanukkah 2015, and as BJ and I have lit the candles each night and thought about what this special holiday means to us, I have come up with five things that I want you to know. They may not even be the five most important things or the most spiritual, but they are the ones that I want to share with you. If you would like to learn more about Hanukkah, or how to celebrate next year, check out https://www.chosenpeople.com/site/hanukkah. 

1. Hanukkah celebrates more than one miracle.
The most commonly known reason for celebrating Hanukkah is the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days when there was only enough pure oil for one day. But the other incredible miracle that we celebrate is God’s preservation of the Jewish people under the threat of destruction at the time of the Maccabees and all throughout history.

2. Hanukkah is not a mandated holy day but it does honor God.
God did not command the celebration of Hanukkah or mandate how it should be celebrated, but it celebrates and honors His faithfulness to the Jewish people and His holiness and glory displayed in miracles and in the Jewish people’s dedication to obeying His commands, purifying the temple and keeping the light of the temple menorah burning.

3. Jesus celebrated Hanukkah.
Because Jesus is Jewish. God chose Israel to be the people to represent Him to the nations and through which to bring the promised Messiah into the world. Not only did Jesus choose to honor God and honor His heritage by celebrating Hanukkah in Jerusalem, but the fact that he did was important enough for God to include it in His inspired Word. (See John 10:22).

4. God’s unfailing faithfulness to Israel through history is a testament to His character and His perfect faithfulness.
Because He has always been faithful to Israel, you can know that He always will be and He also will be faithful to His promises to you.

5. It’s cool if you celebrate Hanukkah too.
You don’t have to be Jewish to celebrate Hanukkah. If you do, you show that you stand in solidarity with the Jewish people and your Jewish friends. And if you worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you too can celebrate that God is faithful and always true to His word. Besides, who doesn’t like lighting candles and eating fried foods for eight nights in a row?