A Nation of Priest

Finished this week’s Torah reading - Yisro - And I am suddenly reminded as to why I feel the need to learn from my Jewish brothers.

In Exodus 19:5-6,8 - G-d gives a proposal to Israel:  “And now, IF you hearken well to Me & observe My covenant, you shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples… You shall be to Me a kingdom of ministers & a holy nation.”

—> The word minister is usually translated to priest, the Hebrew word הכהנים in the context of this verse means an entire nation is to be dedicated to leading the world toward the teaching, understanding & acceptance of G-d’s commandments. [Artscroll Stone’s Edition Tanach commentary]

Israel’s response to G-d’s proposal, is that they accept His proposal and the burden to teach the nations G-d’s law: “The entire people responded TOGETHER [in unison] and said “Everything that Hashem has spoken WE shall do.”

—> Did the church replace this call and take the place of Israel as a nation of priest, carrying forth the teachings, understanding & acceptance of G-d’s law? 

—> In the last days we will see Jewish leadership restored & the church will honor & accept that it Israel’s fulfilled role to be a light unto the nations (Isa. 60:3) and that the church did not replace Israel.  Israel is G-d’s most beloved people and therefore  the Christian will say, “Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.” (Zach. 8:23)

Changes…

The journey that started just a little over a year ago because of my dissatisfaction with “Christianity” & the things I’ve been taught; coupled with the inspiration of Ed Dobson’s book, The Year of Living like Jesus (http://www.amazon.com/Year-Living-like-Jesus-Discovering/dp/0310247772) has changed many of the views I once held.

While the journey is far from over and in many aspects is still in it’s infant stage, I push to seek & find what I feel many Christians are missing due to the lack of studying the ancient scriptures to find out just exactly what it was that Jesus was teaching.  Christians follow a man that didn’t bring a “new religion”, everyone one of his teachings point to the Torah & Tanach.  So if the man whom you claim to follow teaches from this ancient scroll, wouldn’t you want to follow that teaching?

G-d gave the Torah as his divine instruction or blueprint for moral & righteous living yet (as I’ve been taught before) Christians are quick to point out that those who believe in being Torah observant are “under the law” or practicing “legalism”.  Nothing could be further from the truth as I have discovered in listening to the teachings of Jesus. 

I’m not trying to bash Christianity or any other fellowship for that matter. James 4:11&12 - “Brothers, stop speaking against each other! Whoever speaks against a brother or judges a brother is speaking against Torah and judging Torah. And if you judge Torah, you are not a doer of what Torah says, but a judge. Brothers, stop speaking against each other! Whoever speaks against a brother or judges a brother is speaking against Torah and judging Torah. And if you judge Torah, you are not a doer of what Torah says, but a judge.“  I just believe that it’s time that those who follow a man that said the Law has not been abolished should begin follow just what it was Jesus was trying to teach.

What Jesus was trying to impress upon his followers was to learn and obey the Torah.  It’s ludicrous to believe that Jesus was trying to introduce a “new religion” or that he “nailed the Law to the cross”.  If Jesus was/is the Paschal lamb then what he nailed to the cross was the atonement for sin.  In the Torah when animals were sacrificed to G-d, they didn’t magically abolish G-d’s commandments so why would the death of Jesus abolish G-d’s Law?  It doesn’t make sense that the Sabbath day which the creator instituted & he himself observed in Genesis 2:2 was changed, or that pork somehow became “clean” just because Jesus died.

Jesus said himself in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to abolish the Law, but just as important to that statement was the one where he said “not on Yodh or one stroke will pass from Torah until everything happens.”  So my question is, has everything happened that must happen?  Has all prophecy been fulfilled/completed?  Has heaven & earth passed away?  If none of this has taken place, why is the church ignoring the Torah?  How does saying I’ve come to “fulfill” the law translate or equate to “abolished” or “done away with”?  I blogged about this earlier in my journey so I am seeing a reoccurring theme here and what was convicting me to begin this journey.

I’m bothered by the fact that the church considers G-d’s original teachings a “curse”.  How can anything that the Creator of the Universe creates be a “curse”? Aren’t we taught in kids church that G-d is the giver of every good an perfect gift?  If the Torah is a curse, then why do both Isaiah and Micah tell us in the “last days” that the Torah/Law will be taught upon the arrival of the Messiah?  If Jesus fulfilled the law and the law was a curse, then wouldn’t that mean that we will be living under a curse when Jesus returns to rule & reign?  If so, why is everyone so eager to preach the “rapture”?  The law is not a curse!  The law is the blueprint by which to live your life by…

The next argument I have in regards to the “Law being nailed to the cross” and therefore we are not subject to G-d’s Laws today is that of the grace… When did grace replace the need to obey rules?  Romans 2:12 “For those without Torah, who sin, will also perish without Torah; and those under the Torah, who sin, will be judged by the Torah.”  And Romans 2:14 “For if Gentiles who have not the Torah shall, by THEIR nature, do the things of the Torah; they while without Torah, become a Torah TO THEMSELVES.”  Notice that this scripture does not in any way infer that believers don’t need the Torah, but rather, without divine (Torah) guidance, they will make up their own rules & regulations and will attempt to interrupt right from wrong from a human standpoint.   

The Torah confirms in several places, that there is one G-d with one divine instruction for the Jew & for the foreigner who has chosen to follow G-d (http://esv.to/Num15.13-16).  Torah binds our relationship with G-d.  Torah reveals who G-d is, explains how to worship Him, and shows how He wants us to live & behave according to His rules.  If we desire a relationship with the Creator of the universe, we cannot pick and choose what we want to follow in the G-d’s word, we must either accept all or none of it…

I wrote this blog because I fully believe that Christians are missing the “big picture”.  I believe that Christians are missing out on a huge blessing by ignoring G-d’s Torah & his Law and instead following the “good news” handed down to us by the “church fathers” which was the called the “truth” because the Law was a curse & nailed to the cross.

So I titled this blog as “changes…”, why did I title the blog this?  I’ve decided that moving forward in this “journey” that I am going to take heed to Numbers 15:13-16 and the good news that Jesus was teaching… the good news of the message of the Torah.  I understand that returning to the Torah could possibly result in rejection by my family, friends & faith fellowships who may not understand such convictions. But I believe that if I am going to follow a Torah observant, Sabbath keeping, kosher eating, feast keeping Jesus then it’s my duty to become Torah observant, keeping the Sabbath, eating kosher, & feast keeper.

שָׁלוֹם רָב, לְאֹהֲבֵי תוֹרָתֶךָ;    וְאֵין-לָמוֹ מִכְשׁוֹל.

Psalm 119:165 - Great peace have they that love Thy law; and there is no stumbling for them.

Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam asher barcha banu mikkol ha’amim venatan lanu et torato. Barukh atah Adonai notein ha’torah.

English Translation: Blessed are You, LORD our God, king of the universe, who chose us from all the peoples and gave to us His Torah. Blessed are You, LORD, giver of the Torah.

G-d bless you,

Michael

Archaeologists Confirm Detail of Chanukah Story

Archaeologists confirm detail of Chanukah story

This article comes from the link below.

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/12/archaeologists-confirm-detail-of.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed&m=1

Which came from the source listed here: From Ha’aretz:

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered the first archeological find to confirm written testimony of the ritual practices at the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

An Israeli Antiquities Authority archaeological survey at the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount yielded a tiny tin artifact, the size of a button, inscribed with the Aramaic words: “Daka Le’Ya,” which the excavation directors on behalf of the IAA, archaeologists Eli Shukron and Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, explain means “pure for God.”

Researchers believe the artifact, dated to the first century, towards the end of the Second Temple period, is a seal similar to those described in the Mishnah. If they are correct, this is the first time physical evidence of the temple ritual was found to corroborate the written record.

The team believes the tiny seal was put on objects designated to be used in the temple, and thus had to be ceremonially pure.

In this vein, and in the spirit of Hanukkah, Jerusalem District archaeologist of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “It is written in the Talmud that the only cruse of oil that was discovered in the Temple after the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks, “lay with the seal of the High Priest” – that is: the seal indicated that the oil is pure and can be used in the Temple. Remember, this cruse of oil was the basis for the miracle of Hanukkah that managed to keep the menorah lit for eight days”.

In addition to this artifact, the dig also yielded other Second Temple artifacts, some older from the time of the Hasmonean Dynasty rule, including oil lamps, earthenware pots, and containers filled with oils and perfumes, as well as coins bearing Hasmonean kings such as Alexander Jannaeus and John Hyrcanus.

Wiktionary translates “Daka” as “to cleanse, to purify.”

Intriguingly, Jastrow translates “Daka” as “humble” or “crushed.” And the Genesius Lexicon translates it similarly:

Is it possible that “Daka l’Ya” doesn’t only mean “pure for God” but perhaps “crushed for God” - meaning it is a seal meant specifically for olive oil produced for the Temple service?

Part 2 - Celebrating Chanukah

While in the Western world we celebrate the birth of the Messiah on December 25th of the Gregorian calendar, I’m not convinced this is the actual day of the birth of Jesus.  With that said, I will admit that I am not a bible scholar by any means but my understanding of the scripture leads me to believe that Yeshua was born during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles which is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei on the Jewish calendar.

So this blog is not dogmatic in that I think that I am “scholarly” right, it’s just my understanding based on Jewish calendar and the study of the Priestly tours issued by King David in 1 Chronicles.

King David in 1 Chronicles divided the sons of Aaron into groups to create a schedule of service in the Temple throughout the year, each group would serve in the Temple twice a year in addition to the major festivals. The Priests would begin and end their service on the Sabbath for a tour of one week.  This tour was based on the Jewish calendar. The Jewish calendar begins in the spring of Nisan, even though the Jewish new year starts during Rosh Hashanah in the autum of Tishrei.

The course that Zacharias would have served in would have been the 8th tour of the year.  Since the cycle of service began on the first Shabbat of Nisan and both Passover and the Feast of Weeks required all Priestly courses to serve, Zacharias service would have fallen on the 10th week of the year.  This places Zacharias’ service in the Temple at the second Sabbath of the month of Sivan which is May/June on our calendar. Scripture tells us that John was conceived shortly after Zacharias’ service in the Temple which would put Elizabeth conceiving sometime after the 3rd Sabbath month of Sivan. Counting 9 months from Sivan would put John being born around Passover which is Nisan 15.

Note: We know that John is the forerunner for the Messiah and Yeshua called John an Elijah type prophet. At Passover it is customary for Jews to set out a special cup of wine for Elijah who will user in the Messiah.  John being born at Passover, was he ushering in the presence of the Messiah?

Now we know that according to scripture that Mary conceived 6 months after Elizabeth according to Luke 1:24-27 & 36 but it is important to know that the “six” month is not in reference to the 6th month on the Jewish calendar, it refers to the point in time of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. So Mary conceived 6 months later which when adding 6 months to Sivan, we arrive at late Kislev which would have been around the 25th of Kislev.  The 25th of Kislev on the Jewish calendar is the first day of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights/The Feast of Dedication.  Now if John was born on the 15th day of Nisan when you add six months to that you would arrive at the 15th day of the 7 month known as Tishri.  The 15th of Tishri is the celebration of the Festival of Sukkot.

Yeshua said as recorded in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” If the day of Yeshua’s birth was the first day of Sukkot the day of His circumcision according to the Law would have been on the 8th day the final day of Sukkot.  It is on this day that the Jews complete their annual cycle of Torah readings and they start is all over again at Genesis.  It is at this time that the Torah is considered to be a time of “fulfillment” of the Torah.  Yeshua was circumcised on this day of “fulfillment” so now go back and read the words of Yeshua in Matt 5:17, it is at this time that the Word (the Law) became flesh.

It is interesting to note here that when Messiah comes to set up His kingdom on earth it is written that only one festival will be celebrated by the nations (much like Christmas today) and that festival is Sukkot (Zach 14:16 “Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and keep the Feast of Booths”) Today. every nation has someone that celebrates Christmas and worships Yeshua, but not everyone celebrates Chanukah in December and no one celebrates Yeshua’s birth in Tishri (September/October).

Last bit of evidence for my case that Yeshua was born during Sukkot as I taught in our Sunday school class at one time.  We know that Yeshua was 30 years old when He started His ministry according to Luke in Luke 3:23. We are taught that Yeshua ministered for 3 1/2 years before being crucified during Passover (Nisan 15, oh and remember on Nisan 15 John the forerunner of Messiah was born) so then in our Sunday school class we counted back 6 months to come to the conclusion that Yeshua was most likely born in the month of Tishri which is Sep/Oct for us in the West.

The bottom line is that the scriptures do not focus on the birth of Yeshua but rather it focuses on the teachings, death and resurrection of Yeshua.  I think this is to teach us the His birth although important should not overshadow His teachings, death & resurrection.  Everyday we should worship what we believe to be the Messiah and not just on the 25th of December. 

So in the spirit of Chanukah I will shine my light to proclaim the miracles of G-d and promote the Light of the Messiah until every Nation comes to worship their Savior at the Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths), Sukkot.

Michael

Food For Thought

Tell me Yeshua wasn’t Jewish… tell me he did not follow Jewish teaching…  When Yeshua said baptize, the original translation is immerse. 

In Judaism, water commonly symbolizes a new or altered status. Jews-by-choice complete their conversion by immersing in a mikvah.  When one immerses one’s self in a mikvah, they are connecting with the profound change that this new life will bring.  Mikvah is Recalling the amniotic water of the womb and the rivers of Eden, the mikvah taps into a sense of rebirth.

My Response to Celebrating Chanukah

This year I have experienced some ridicule over celebrating Chanukah and so I wanted to share a little of my thoughts on the subject.

First the question as been asked if I am no longer celebrating Christmas or replacing Christmas with Chanukah.  My answer is no, I am not replacing the celebration of the birth of the Messiah although I don’t believe Yeshua was born on Dec. 25th (which I had to explain as well) but rather I am celebrating both holidays.  This response brought on jokes about blending Christmas and Chanukah into “Christnukkah” or “Messiahmas,” but strictly speaking the birth of the Messiah & the Jewish holiday of the re-dedication of the Temple known as Chanukah are two different celebrations that have something to do with each other. 

So let me start with the story (short version) of Chanukah. Historically, Chanukah remembers the Maccabee’s resistance to the force Hellenization (spread of pagan culture & worship) of the Jewish people.

After Alexander the Great sought to Hellenize the world there arose from the divided kingdom that Alexander left behind a “little horn” as prophesied by Daniel in Dan. 8:1-12;21-22. The little horn was Antiochus Epiphanes who had authority over the land of Israel. Antiochus in the Hellenistic world prohibited observing the weekly Jewish Sabbath, Feast/Festivals as well as circumcision and Torah reading.  In the midst of his hellenistic world he put Hellenistic Jews in charge of the Temple and then he set up an altar to Zeus (the sky god) over the altar of burnt offerings in the Temple and then he sacrificed a pig on the altar to Zeus. This act of sacrifice defiled the Temple and came to be known as the “abomination of desolation.”

It was at this time that the books of Maccabees tells that during the time of the desecration of the Temple and with the outlaw of Torah studies, Shabbat, Festival observance and ritual circumcision, Matthias a Hasmonean priest and his sons took refuge in caves. When Antiochus soliders arrived at Modim to erect an altar to Zeus & sacrifice a pig, Matthias & his sons rose up & killed the Syrians.  This was the beginning of the revolt of the Maccabee’s.  Judah the son of Matthias led the revolt after his father’s death.  As history records it, on the 25th of Kislev the Maccabees defeated their oppressors (a miracle in of itself) & recaptured the Temple. The Temple after being recaptured had to be cleansed of the abomination and rededicated back to G-d & thus it became known as the “dedication”.  The Hebrew word for dedication is Chanukah. 

Note: The reason the menorah (the candlebrum in the Temple) is lit for eight nights is that during the cleansing of the temple a Jewish priests searched the temple and found a flask of olive oil that was not defiled and still had the seal of the High Priest on it.  This one flask of oil had enough oil to only light the menorah for one night but a miracle took place in that this one-day supply of oil miraculously burned for eight nights and so Chunukah is also known as the Festival of Lights.

So now the reason that I am celebrating Chanukah & Christmas…

First Christmas itself has been “traditionally & Culturally” celebrated in America (since I’ve been alive) as the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December and while personally I am persuaded that Yeshua was conceived around Chanukah & born during Sukkot (based on when I believe Zacharias heard from Gabriel during his first tour of service at the Temple, which I will cover in another blog) I still celebrate Christmas based purely on the traditions & Culture of my upbringing.  I have been taught in the past that Christmas being celebrated on the 25th of Dec. was institued by the Roman Catholic church in order to replace the pagan celebration of the birthday of the sun god. It is my current belief (and I’m still researching) that Constantine came up with Christmas as the birth of Christ to overshadow and do away with Jewish practices such as Chanukah.  So currently tradition and culture is one reason why I celebrate Christmas as the birth of the Messiah.

And so for the last reason I decided to celebrate Chanukah this year (as well as other Jewish feast/festivals) is that since Yeshua celebrated the “Feast of Dedication” according to John 10:22, and if I am going to be a Talmidim of the Rabbi (teacher) Yeshua then I am going to want to be just like my Teacher as is the goal of ever disciple.  I am going to cover myself with the dust of my Rabbi’s feet & drink His words according to the saying of Yose ben Yoezer. The idea of being covered in the dust of your rabbi came from something that was a common sight to a 1st century Jew. As the rabbi would be walking down the dusty streets, right behind him would be his students doing their best to keep up with him and hear his words as he went from place to place teaching his yoke. By the end of the day, the disciples (Talmidim) would literally be covered in the dust from the rabbi’s feet. 

Covering yourself in the dust of your rabbi… this is what devotion means when you are a disciple of Yeshua. Is it enough for me to hear or listen to the teachings of Yeshua but not follow my teacher, my rabbi in all aspects of His life?  This means that if Yeshua celebrated the Feast of Dedication then my family (or at least me alone) will celebrate Chanukah too. 

Yeshua said “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Matt. 5:16.

Michael

Christmas Story - The Magi’s View

What do we really know about the magi, the wise men from the east that brought gifts of gold, frankincense & myrrh as told in the writings of Matthew 2:1-12?  From Matthew little is told about these three men other than accounts that they were magi, & wise men.  Were they Egyptian Astrologers? Were they three kings? Who were they and why did they follow a star to find “a babe lying in a manager & wrapped in swaddling clothes”?

The answers to these mysterious men from the east could be found in an 8th century (C.E.) Syriac manuscript that is in the Vatican library.  It is believed that the earliest versions of this manuscript could have been written in the second century less than 100 years after Matthews writing.  The manuscript is written in first person and it narrates the origin of the magi, their encounter with the star and their journey to Bethlehem to see and worship the Messiah.  After their visit the manuscript tells that they (magi) returned home & preached the message of the Messiah’s arrival.

A Dive into these ancient text provides details into who the magi were, where they came from and the “star” that led them to Bethlehem.

According to the text (which was provided by Biblical Archaeology), there were not just 3 wise men (magi) as depicted in early Christian Christmas story telling, nor were they Egyptian or Babylonian astrologers.  In fact magi as known in biblical times as well as what is recorded in the Syriac text means those who “pray in silence”.  The text records that the magi were a group of monk-like mystics from far-off in a mystical land called Shir, possibly China.

It is believed that these magi were the descendants of Seth, the righteous third son of Adam, and the guardians of the age-old prophecy that a star of indescribable brightness would someday appear “heralding the birth of God in human form”.

The story is told that when the long awaited prophesied start finally appears, the star isn’t just simply sighted as described in Matthew chapter 2 but rather the star descends to earth transforming into a luminous start child that guides the magi to Bethlehem & finally to a cave where the Messiah has been born. It is at this time that the luminous child commissions the magi to go back home witness the Messiah’s birth to those in the east.

The writing above comes from an article in the Biblical Archaeology Review. So does this ancient manuscript bring us any closer to knowing who the magi of the Christian Christmas story might have been? 

No it doesn’t but it is a fascinating story, one in which makes you wonder if there is some truth to the story telling or if it’s an ancient community out there that wanted to be a part of the Christmas story so they envisioned themselves as the role of the magi? 

Oh the mysteries of a time long ago, a time in which I could travel back to so that I could see just how close we are to what has been taught to us or just how far away we are from what the ancient world was…

Michael

Day 353 - A Year Living Like Jesus

The last time I wrote for my journey of living a year like Jesus (inspired by Ed Dobson’s The Year of Living Like Jesus) it was Day 212 into the 365 days of “trying” to live like Jesus and document the process along the way. 

I have learned much in this year.  First I’ve learned that I start out with lots of steam but I’m not very good at setting a good pace and therefore found myself wondering how I could ever keep up with Jesus.  You could probably tell this in my blogging, it started out hot and trailed off toward the end.  Living like Jesus was much like my blogging… At times I wondered if I would ever get back on track.   Now I understand Paul’s writing about running the race with perseverance.  If you’re going to follow Jesus, it’s going to take endurance, perseverance & even some time of rest.  No wonder God created the Sabbath, we all need rest!

So what did I learn from Jesus in this process.  This may sound shocking but the Jesus I followed before was a Jesus that was molded and fabricated to fit me and how I wanted Jesus to work for me.  That Jesus is nothing like the Jesus I have discovered.  The Jesus I discovered was a Jew and a Jew to the “T”.  Jesus was a Torah Observant Jew which is evident by his constant quoting of the Tanakh (Torah).  Everything Jesus taught about was from the writings of Moses & the Prophets etc.

Jesus not only taught Torah but he also lived Torah, he observed all the God appointed times and feast. Jesus also observed the commandments of God by the evidence of him wearing Tzizits etc. Jesus was an observant Jew right down to the way he prayed.  Look at how he taught us to pray.  He said “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Then He gives us the structure of our prayers by saying “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”  You can go on and read the rest of the Lord’s prayer but now look at how the Rabbi’s taught the Jews to pray in the Siddur a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. Most all the prayers in the Siddur start with “Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe,” The rest of the prayers follow the same type pattern as how Jesus taught us to pray.  So Jesus was observant to the not only the treachings of Torah but also the teachings of the Sages.

Jesus was not only observant to commandments and teachings but he was also observant as far as Jewish community and culture.  In John 10:22 it references that Jesus observed the “man-made” Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah.  Hanukkah means dedication, The Feast of Dedication in John 10:22 was Hanukkah and John tells us that Jesus was going to the temple (where the Menorah was at) to celebrate Hanukkah which was the Feast commemorating when the Maccabees revolted against the Antiochus IV Epiphanes from Syria when he sacrificed a swine in the temple upon the altar and then he set up idols in the temple to be worshipped.  The Maccabees defeated the enemy and cleansed the Temple of idol worship. After the cleansing they found only one small flask of oil with which to light the Menorah. Miraculously the flask provided oil for eight days instead of the expected one. During Hanukkah each evening one additional candle is lit until the last evening when all 8 are lit. It is also sometimes known as the Feast of Lights, or again the Feast of Dedication for the Maccabees dedicated the Temple back to God.  Jesus observed this according to John.

So to shorten this up even though there is much to write…  I found myself asking this question.  If Jesus was a Jew, an observant Jew who not only studied Torah but kept the Torah as well along with all the commandments as well as observing festivals/feast along with Jewish culture/community etc.  And if I am to be a follower of Jesus like I say I am…  Why do I pick and choose what I want to follow?  Why am I not following all of Jesus instead of following the Jesus that fits my mold?  Shouldn’t we follow him with ALL of our heart? Maybe that’s what Jesus meant when he said to “take up your cross follow me”.  He knew it wouldn’t be easy and that we would totally have to change what we were doing.  And when He said that we would have to leave our family to follow Him, he was talking about totally changing what and how you lived before.  You family may make fun of you for wearing Tzitzit or for lighting the Menorah but in the end following Jesus means to take up that cross and follow him all the way… not following what makes you comfortable.

12 more days but the journey, the following continues way beyond the 365 days.

Michael