Hanukkah

Newsletter December 2017 (inc. calendar)

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The newsletter for December is now available online here: Dec 2017 newsletter

(here is the link to ‘The related timings of the births of Jesus and John the Baptist‘)

new newsletter pic

 

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Jesus, the reason for the season

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This year Hanukkah and Christmas both occur at the same time. Hanukkah, which is described as the Feast of Dedication in John 10:22-23, and which Jesus celebrated, is fulfilled by the miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit of baby Jesus by Mary (Luke 1:26-56). And Christmas, of course is when we celebrate the Lord’s virgin birth.  However, in amongst all the commercialism and busy-ness of the season, it’s good for us to be reminded of who and what it’s all about. Here’s an extract from a Chuck Missler article to help us:

The Names of Jesus Christ

Names have great significance in the Bible. A name was not just the label that differentiated one person from another, but often described something about the person. The name Abraham is translated “Father of a multitude”, Jacob means “supplanter” and David “beloved”. The most important names in the Bible, however, describe God Himself. Through His names, God expresses the reality of who He is. God does not cloak His identity and distance Himself from His creation. Instead, we have a God who desires to be known:  Read the rest of this entry »

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The related timings of the births of Jesus and John the Baptist

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It is not specifically stated in the Bible when Jesus was born. However, the indications from Scripture give us a pretty good guide of when He was born, and importantly, when He was not born. We are given clues in the details concerning the priestly service of John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, and the fact that Jesus and John were cousins.

Zechariah, was of the priestly division of Abijah (Luke 1:5,8). Back in King David’s day, the priests had been separated into 24 turns or divisions. These turns began in the first month of the Jewish calendar (1 Chronicles 27:2), March or April of our modern calendar. According to Talmudic and Qumran sources, the turns rotated every week until they reached the end of the sixth month, when the cycle was repeated again until the end of the year. This would mean that Zechariah’s division served at the temple twice a year.

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