The Lodestar

On the last day of the annual feast of Tabernacles, Jesus claimed he was the world's light. This festival was celebrated after the Autumn equinox (the day when the day and night are of equal length) in September.

The Feast of the Tabernacles included a light ceremony in which four large oil lamps were lit in the Court of Women in the Temple. The ceremony was a reminder of God's presence and guidance for Israel in the wilderness when He led them with a pillar of fire. It symbolised the assurance that the Lord would guide them through the long nights. The ceremony also symbolised the hope for the coming of the Messiah, who would be the world's light.

Ironically, when the people were lighting the lamps in the Temple courts, believing that the Messiah was yet to come, the true Messiah shouted out that the true light, the light that illuminates the world, had arrived in his person. The light ceremony reminds the people to keep their hope, but Jesus claims hope is a reality on the first Christmas day.

As you hang up lights and watch streets glow with colour in this Christmas season, pause to ask—has the genuine Light found space in your heart? Let his radiance guide your thoughts, choices, and relationships this Advent and beyond. Share the warmth of His presence wherever you go, pointing others to the Light that never fades.

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