Chag Sameach, Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New year to you all from the Levi family!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Great Commission,
Shalom! We are enjoying the beginnings of a New England winter, and getting ready to celebrate our two favorite holidays; Hanukkah and Christmas and ! Chag Sameach, Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New year to you all from the Levi family!
Today is the beginning of Hanukkah- Feast of dedication (the Festival of lights.).. foreshadowing the true Light who is Yeshua, the Messiah in which He declared
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
All over the world tonight, the Jewish & Messianic Jewish from around the world will be lighting their hanukkiahs (Hanukkah menorahs) in remembrance of the miracles that God performed about 2,200 years ago in Jerusalem. The first miracle was God's deliverance from oppression and defilement . For many years, the Jewish People had been oppressed by the Greeks, who desecrated the Holy Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar. They enforced idolatry, forbidding the Jewish People from reading the Torah and following it. God delivered His people through a Jewish priest named Mattathias and his sons. They led a small group of Jewish men to rise up against the 25,000 soldiers of the Syrian/Greek army. When the Jewish priests entered the Temple to re-dedicate it and light the Menorah, they found only one bottle of undefiled oil — enough to last just one day. Miraculously, that tiny supply of oil lasted eight full days. This second miracle gave the priests enough time to create more sanctified oil to keep the Temple Menorah burning 24 hours a day.
Over 100 years later, Yeshua stood at the Holy Temple on Hanukkah when He was asked directly, "Are you the Messiah?" "Then came the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) at Jerusalem. It was winter and Yeshua (Jesus) was in the Temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.
View of Summer St, Lanesborough MA from Our home during the winter.
"The Jews gathered around Him, saying, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.'” (John 10:22–24) On that Hanukkah, Yeshua confirmed to those asking that He is the Messiah, the Shepherd of Israel. Other verses confirm that He is the Light of the World (John 8:12) and also that through Him we can be lights shining in the darkness of these Last Days (Philippians 2:15).
We will be thinking of YOU tonight, as we light the first candle on the hanukkiah. Let us rejoice together in the miracles of Hanukkah and the miracles that God is doing today in our lives.
May your Hanukkah season be illuminated with the
Light of the World—Yeshua HaMashiach.
" You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.…" Matthew 5:14-15
In His grace
William Levi, Founder & Overseer
Operation Nehemiah Missions
PO Box 563
Lanesborough MA 01237
www.operationsnehemiah.org
413-770-4711
