The Book of Maccabees is a book from the Apocrypha, little known unless you are a part of the Catholic or Jewish tradition. Not many Christians are familiar with this set of historic books concerned with Jewish history. A tradition is celebrated by the Jewish faith because following the victorious Jewish rebellion against Antiochus Epiphanes IV (an oppressive ruler), the Maccabean brothers desired to cleanse the temple against any defilement that had previously taken place. One act of worship was to light the Menorah candle and keep it lit for eight days. Unfortunately, they only had enough oil for one day. So, they lit if anyway. Miraculously, the candle stayed lit for eight days. For this reason, it is sometimes called “The Festival of Lights.” This event is celebrated today as Hanukkah.
Efrain gathers the people for a prayer over the building.
This same event was later mentioned in John 10:22, where it is more properly called the Feast of Dedication. This was the foundation of the story, history intermingled with actual events, which set the stage for a message on dedication.
The location was Crosspoint Church of God, Kilgore, Texas. Worship contained Christmas traditions. We were there to celebrate in the dedication of their new multi-purpose facility. Interestingly enough, with all the dedications mentioned in Old and New Testaments (and the Maccabees), Tim identified that no one ever dedicated a “multi-purpose” building (the congregation chuckled). The term “multi-purpose” implies multiple uses, however all who entered agree it is built for one purpose: to serve and honor God. Every dedication, including today’s event, occurs with this purpose in mind.
June 11, 2012, Efrain took us on a tour of the unfinished building.
We celebrate with Crosspoint Church of God as they enter their new building for the sole purpose of serving and honoring God. Congratulations on successful completion!
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