Working the Vineyard: Chanukkah and Christmas

Working the Vineyard: Chanukkah and Christmas:

When most of the fabric of Humanity is at rest, "The Remnant" who must work, experience the strain of the Holy Days to an exponentially greater degree. As the weight of work and conscience comes to bear, the burden takes on a whole host of new qualities that currency could never begin to compensate… but what a time to walk with God. 

Here we are at the start of a New Year, and January is a good time to look back at this last season, reflect and regroup to consider this next year’s calendar of Holy Days. 

This is my first year working as a Medicine Messenger, and I am blessed to work in a faith based hospital which acknowledges, celebrates and explores the interconnections between the major religions, Salvation, and God’s enduring steadfast love to all generations.   I rolled my little medicine cart throughout the hospital with my little chanukkiah, dreidel and gelt on display along with some Christmas ornaments to share my faith in the God of Miracles, and His Son through whom all miracles are manifest. Just the sight of a chanukkiah warmed many Jewish coworkers hearts, and lifted their spirits.   I had many conversations with Doctors, Nurses and Patients alike, and found many Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters were ripe to consider this Feast of Dedication as an opportunity to enter into greater revelation - to be cleansed, sanctified and rededicated of unto God. That this year’s Feast of Dedication resolved on Christmas Day - celebrating the promised one who came into the world to do just that served the perfect illustration. The symbolic elements of The Feast of Dedication are representative of not only the physical temple made of brick and stone, but the Temples of our very lives. His presence is the Oil, the light of our lives, that even as we burn, we are not consumed. 

December is an interesting month.  It’s the 12^th and final in a series, yet it’s name means 10.  During this month we have the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year, and we celebrate the very miracle of light with our warm and cozy fires, Christmas trees and Chanukkiahs.  What a time to celebrate the fallible limitations of Man’s understanding, and reassure our hearts with evidences of God’s providence and provision everywhere around us. 

I grew up celebrating Christmas, but the more I look, the more joy I find in celebrating these feast days with Israel, and especially this Feast of Dedication as a pattern of God's faithfulness and evidence of God’s approval.

 This year Christmas fell on the the exact 8^th day of Chanukkah, and just as an octave, expressed in music resolves to a brighter realm of relationship, so this celebration of the Dedication of the Temple resolves to greater revelation.  While the celebration of the cleansing and re-dedication of the 2^nd Temple seems at first a Nation-specific event, in the "Lesser to Greater" scheme of things, Chanukkah really is an revelation of the story of Sin, Man’s inborn sin nature, self-idolatry (which is as pig's blood)  and the blessed revelation of our need to repent, receive salvation, and be sanctified that we may abide in God’s approval, which is to have the Light of His Holy presence in our lives.  The miracle of the Oil is that while the quantity was enough for one day, God caused it to remain for 8 days.  From Quantum to Quantity - Miracles do occur. Who is the one who cleanses the Temple and seals us for eternal life? The Holy One: Blessed be He who came at the proper time, that we may have life and look on all he has done for us. 

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. “ John 16:7  It is the Holy Spirit who illuminates the Man or Woman who orders their lives to be a Temple of the Living God, and "He anoints my head with oil, my cup overflows..."

Because Adonai never changes, and God is the same yesterday today and forever, the evidences of his presence can be found in the patterns of the Holy Days He commanded us to observe.  While Leviticus 23 expresses the seven appointed Feasts,  here in January we sit between two hidden ones.  This last Feast of Dedication and and the upcoming Feast of Esther (Purim) praises great courage, games of chance, mysteries and celebrates the hidden nature of Adonai.  What an intimate treasure revealed to the Nation of Israel first, and then to the "Believer who Acts" and actively “Takes a chance on God”.   Both Chanukkah and Purim feature gambling to a great degree as roles and reversals are observed throughout this holy time. The Hidden Holiday symbol of the Dreidel's message "Nes gadol haya sham"  "A great miracle happened here" is not an arbitrary association, but the very message glorifies God's nature as sovereign. When Antioches Epiphanes declared himself to be god, and the pattern of the Antichrist showed its nature at that time,  True worshipers of God were forbidden to gather to read or study Scripture. But they would not be punished if they appeared to be Gambling.  Even in this, we see the truth of it echoed in Isaiah 53 ‘’he was numbered with the transgressors’’ . 

How wonderful to celebrate the God who gives the victory,  who in His mercy grants us forgiveness, and then gives us the evidence of His approval.  How blessed we are to end Chanukkah with Christmas. He cleanses the Temple of our lives, and as his Holy Spirit indwells us, we become as little Chanukkiahs, little Christmas Trees, afterimages of Moses' Burning Bush - living sacrifices set aflame, yet not consumed. 

We Believers in Salvation are blessed to enter and celebrate the substance of these Holy Days, Chanukkah, Christmas and the upcoming Feast of Esther with Him through whom all miracles are manifest and fulfilled – Messiah Yeshua, Jesus the Christ.  Even if you must work through the Holy Days, those who work the Vineyard are blessed to enter it with Joy, in making the most out of each time and every season.

Q. Shop Prophetic Paintings and Prints!

Q. Shop! Now Open!

I'm so very glad to present Q. Shop !!!

I have several paintings I've been living with for the past few years, and I'm overjoyed to finally share them with you!

Let's get this most important Key in place. 

Visit Quillage.co and get some art on your walls!
More Illustrations, Prints, and Paintings to come.

May Yeshuah bless you, and thank you for your support!

20/20 Vision

When I loose sight from time to time,  He is always right on target.

Perhaps a closer walk with God,
is to continually return to His hand throughout the day.  If possible, to never leave it.   Ours is a life of Worship.

I have been contemplating  "The Glory of God", thanks to R.C Sproul.  The Hebrews and Greeks use the same word to describe His Presence - K'vd - as having "Great Weight" and/or "Heaviness".  To worship Him is to draw near,  and He draws us into the presence of the heavenly chorus, that we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth before the presence of God.  And He, The Most High God,  is not one to be taken lightly. 

Flash forward to today- there I was, waiting patiently for my mom's release from cataract surgery.  I decided to take in A.W Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy  for company.  He entitled this chapter "God Incomprehensible".  In it, Tozer illustrates a simple truth of our Human Perception and reasoning in the way to approach our mental image of  The Living God.

Matza Life :: Internal Qualities

So, I'm having a bit of Matza for lunch, and The Lord granted it to me to realize something marvelous - Creation serves as a Teaching Aid for those who are Children of God.  He made it all for a purpose, and He grows us up to Himself.

We all know that only Unleavened Bread of finest four is acceptable, Holy unto the Lord.  As The Lord appeared to His Servants through out the Old Testament, they knew and prepared Unleavened bread to set before Him,  and it was "Good".

Unleavened Bread, if you've ever tasted it, is so unlike most of what we approve as a collective species. It does not provoke the palette with bright or brash flavor,  it does not entice by pillowy texture,  but invites the senses to perceive different patterns.   To savor its simplicity, is to become aware of a wholly different set of qualities, which sets it apart from man's preferences.

Dogs' Noses "I don't Sin"

"I don't Sin" Every once in a while, I come across an interesting comment.  This one certainly gave me reason to pause.

I have been through some sticky situations, in which I had to rely on He who is greater than myself. But one of the most important lessons on Man's inferiority, and God's Superiority was taught to me by the family dog.

There I was, in a deep depression, cooking dinner over a tiny stove.  My ExBF said something off the cuff, and as was my habit, I let it go.   It was then, when Bowie took a guarding stance and growled at the man.  Now, I might ignore a lot of things,  but I would not ignore my dog. 

When a man says "I don't sin" You can bet there's a whole closet full of dead men's bones in that sarcophagus.  So here was my reply:

The Image vs the Substance

Truly, I was just looking for an image of -a- Pope on a Throne.

You Walk in the image of the one whom you Love.

We all know that an image is worth a thousand words. So too is an action worth ten-thousand more. My adventures lead me to speak with many different types of people, and in each case I love to address the eternal value of Man, Salvation and the Eternal Life of the Redeemed.

My mother was born in a 3rd world country. Catholicism was taught to be her only means and access to God. She was forbidden to read The Scriptures, and was raised singing Latin songs, to which she could not understand the words. Regardless of what anyone says, my mother's experience far outweighs any political or public salve any Pope could hope to cover. She experienced the full force of Catholicism in the Philippines, a country of fanatical religious turmoil marked by Islam and Catholicism respectively.

Once when I visited the Philippines, my mother told me "Don't go outside, the Muslims are known to kidnap young women in the streets." A word to the wise is sufficient, to say the least.
How one receives the Truth and walks in light of it, proves the value of your presence.
Catholics are so inundated with their finely crafted philosophy, that it sometimes proves difficult to cut through the illusion. Yet we are called to Love them, and to love them enough to tell them the Truth - that they may , like seeds , crack the shell of their narrow view of God, that they may pop their head above the soil and enter into Life to walk by the Spirit of God, to Live a triumphant Life with their Savior, Jesus Christ.  

Trees can grow so very tall indeed

Reflections throughout Passover - Sanctification

Happy First Fruits! (Easter Resurrection Day)
Reflections throughout Passover - Sanctification

 

Have you ever - Tried- Matza?

Just think.. for 7 days The Hebrews omit Yeast from their lives.
If you're willing, God is teaching a very valuable lesson here - Sin is as Yeast!

Once again have you ever - Tried- Matza?
It's hard, its tasteless, its flat. It's the bare minimum. It is of no comfort to the palate on its own. It is not puffed up, it is not "a delight". It is simply Flour and water; it is what it is.

If you think that Christianity is to make everyone comfortable around you? you're straying. If you think to be a Servant of God is to also be self-indulgent, think again.

If you give yourself to any of the vices and make the mistake of thinking yourself Righteous, think again.

While Jesus was with us, he lived as Matza, and It was necessary that he die for our sins; Yet we're so lost in our delusion that we barely even know what that means anymore.

Blessed is the one who is not offended by Him.

Get the Chametz out of your lives.
Let God lead you to the True definition of Sin
. . Eat the Matza

Sin and knowledge Puffs up, but Love Builds up