How Hanukkah Might Fit into Your Advent Season

Every year I tell myself I’m not going to overload the seasonal calendar. Yet every year I find myself trying to keep up with friends on Pinterest—making cute Advent calendars out of matchboxes, creating wreaths out of old ornaments, and baking all the things. I want the picture-perfect Christmas tree and the one that was obviously decorated by a three-year-old, with all its precious ornaments hanging just inches off the floor and only on one side. I want the house to smell like cinnamon sugar in a way that doesn’t add ten pounds to my middle, for Bing to be crooning about white stuff and a silent night.  I want it all!

If you’re like me, you’re running on empty because you’ve overloaded Advent and Christmas with a to-do list longer than Santa’s, and there’s no room to pack in one.more.thing. That was me.

That is, until Hanukkah discovered me.

About fifteen years ago, I read that Hanukkah “isn’t the Jewish Christmas.” The statement made me wonder, “If that’s not what it is, then what is it? The Jewish story is part of my spiritual history too, so what is it all about?”

Hanukkah honors the time in Jewish history (the second century B.C.) when the temple in Jerusalem had been defiled by Syrian-Greek oppressors. A band of people known as the Maccabees came together to take back the temple and rededicate the space to God.

When the Jews completed the cleansing of the temple, they wanted to honor God by lighting the menorah (candelabra), but there was only enough oil left undefiled by the Syrian-Greeks to burn one night. A great miracle happened, and the menorah stayed lit for eight days and nights. Just the amount of time they needed to make a fresh supply of oil.

All of this reading about the cleansing and rededication of the temple, oil, and light reminded me of the Scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” I sang this verse as a child, but as I studied it anew alongside the story of Hanukkah, it struck me as rich ground for contemplating the parts of me which may need cleansing and rededication: my mind, my mouth, my control, my past.

So I purchased a menorah. I spent the eight nights of Hanukkah lighting a new candle each evening, journaling, and soul searching. I asked God each night what needed to be rooted out of me, so that I would be a house He would want to dwell in. It was an intensely intimate time between us, God and me. We did a lot of cleansing during our time together. Much like washing dishes after a meal and preparing them for service again, our time together each night made room for more of Him and less of me.

I feel like a menorah during this season, with enough oil for just one night.  But a great miracle happens each time I allow Him to cleanse the me out of me, fill me with His Spirit, and prepare me for service again.

[Tweet “Maybe the holiday season isn’t about having it all, but allowing Him to have all of me.”]

KariAnn Lessner is a beloved child of God who struggles to see herself that way, wife to the great Ron Lessner, momma to two sweet daughters named Keatyn & Karsyn), friend, children’s minister, spotty blogger, fairy godmother to many, and lover of chips & salsa, who likes the idea of long walks on the beach. You can connect with her at lessnerismore.com.

Photograph by, KevinDVT.