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- A Theology of Humor by Cheryl Taylor
- Ministering With Humor by Stephanie Nance
- Christian Leaders Having Fun? by Pam Morton with Kathy Jingling
- The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter by Dwenda Gjerdingen, MD, MS
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- Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins
- The Purse-Driven Life by Anita Renfroe
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Building Bridges to Your Jewish Neighbor at Hanukkah
By Dr. Lois E. Olena
An ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Lois has a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies from Gratz College in Philadelphia and a D.Min. from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri (where she also currently serves as visiting professor of Practical Theology and Jewish Studies, D.Min. Project Coordinator, and editor of Encounter journal). She also serves as an adjunct instructor in Theology and Jewish Studies at Evangel University. She has published Holocaust curricula and poetry, edited a number of books, and published papers and articles. Due to her interest in Pentecostal history, she wrote a chapter on Assemblies of God race relations in a book entitled, We've Come This Far and in 2009 wrote her first book, Stanley M. Horton: Shaper of Pentecostal Theology. She and her husband, Doug, have two grown daughters.
"Are you ready for Hanukkah?" a well-meaning Christian cheerfully asks my rabbi friend in anticipation of an end-of-December shared moment of hectic empathy. Caught up in the busy American version of the season, this Christian has innocently conceived of Hanukkah as the "Christmas for Jews." Unfortunately, this comment only results in a polite smile, a sigh, and the thought, Here we go again, in the mind of my Jewish friend. So, how can Christians avoid inappropriate questions and instead build bridges with their Jewish neighbors during this time of year?
Christians can build a bridge to Jewish friends by appreciating the meaning of Hanukkah.
First, Christians can determine to learn the origin of Hanukkah. Ironically, the only place this Jewish holiday is mentioned in the Bible is John 10:22. Here, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Hanukkah (lit., "dedication"), commemorating the victory of a group of Jews led by Judas the Maccabaeus over the Syrian King, Antiochus Epiphanes. As the Apocryphal books of 1&2 Maccabees recount, this infamous king had set himself up as the visible incarnation ("Epiphanes") of Zeus and launched a campaign of cultural totalitarianism. He established Greek customs and a state pagan religion, imposed harsh restrictions against Jewish religious observance, and defiled the temple in Jerusalem. After their victory over Antiochus in 165 B.C.E., the Jewish rebel army known as the Maccabees took back the temple, cleansed it, rededicated it, and reinstituted proper temple worship. As the Talmudic version of the story (Shabbat 21b) notes, there was enough oil in the temple lampstand to last one day, but miraculously, it lasted eight.
Second, as Christians understand the observance of Hanukkah, they will realize that not only is it not the Christmas equivalent — it's not even one of the most important of the Jewish holidays. The holiest days of the Jewish calendar are Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). So wish your Jewish friends a "Happy New Year" or "Hag Sameach" (happy holiday) at that time of year, and consider sending them a New Year's card to recognize that life is a lot busier for them in September. Take time to learn about each Jewish holiday and its meaning for both Jews and Christians.
Christians can build a bridge to Jewish friends by appreciating the meaning of Hanukkah. Representing the triumph of Jewish values over Greek values, Hanukkah's meaning lies in a minority culture fighting to practice its religion instead of allowing assimilation into the majority culture. So during Hanukkah, Christians can take time to appreciate those throughout Jewish history who risked their lives to defend the Torah — through which we have God's Word — and ensure the survival of the Jewish people — through whom the Messiah came. During the Hanukkah season, Gentile Christians should appreciate all that has been preserved and handed down to them by way of the Jewish people, and like the Maccabees, they should stand against anti-Semitism of any form, anywhere.
During the Hanukkah season, Gentile Christians should appreciate all that has been preserved and handed down to them by way of the Jewish people.
Appreciating their Jewish spiritual heritage and being willing to stand for truth as the Maccabees did are two ways Christians can be a light during this season of lights. Arriving around the winter solstice when it's dark, both holidays have light as a significant theme. For Jews, light is connected to the miracle of the oil, in celebration of which they light the Hanukkiah (menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum), each of the eight nights and recite a special blessing. For Christians, the light theme speaks of Jesus coming to be the Light of the world.
Both Jews and Christians are called to be a light to the world (Isaiah 42:6; Matthew 5:14-16). And for both, God (Psalm 4:6) and His Word (Psalm 119:105) are light. In finding some place of peace from the over-commercialized nature of both holidays, Jews and Christians likewise need to reflect on the historical and spiritual aspects of these holidays and look for ways in these dark times to be lights for our world.
