What do you do after a tragedy? Cry, of course, especially if you lose someone you love unexpectedly. At Shiloh Messianic Congregation in San Bernardino County, members lit candles of remembrance, candles of dedication to God, candles of Hanukkah.
Even though Nick Thalasinos was not there to stand next to his widow Jennifer because he was killed in the San Bernardino terrorist shootings of December 2, his friends lit candles together. Joy lingered to celebrate his life and the promise of light in a dark world.
On Saturday, December 12, each family placed their unique Hanukkah candelabra on a table near celebration banners, tables for playing dreidel games, and people dancing the Hora. Then they gathered together and lit all of the candles. Flames flickered on faces of older people, middle-aged, young parents, and children. Each remembered the story of the Maccabee Brothers, 2200 years ago, who stood against Greek invaders who had desecrated the Jewish temple. After the Greeks were repelled and the temple cleaned and restored, God did a miracle, causing the holy temple oil to last eight days instead of just one. That is why Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration, usually done in the home, where a ninth candle lights the other eight, one day at a time. It also shows a family’s dedication to God for the coming year. Children play games, eat sweets, unwrap gifts, and people hold hands in a circle to dance together.
I felt honored to be part of this celebration of light after being away from America for five years while I taught English overseas. It felt like a homecoming for me, even though the congregation felt the loss of one less member.
“Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated the Feast of Dedication (another name for Hanukkah). He stood in Solomon’s temple and declared, “I am the light of the world,” Pastor Bruce Dowell taught us. “My wife Kathleen and I like to put some little white lights around our home, too. A single flame can penetrate darkness.”
Messianic Jews believe that Jesus fulfilled hundred of prophecies from the Old Testament, written hundreds of years before his birth and that he later became the Passover Lamb to take on himself the sins of the world when he died on the cross. They also believe that he broke the power of eternal death when he rose again, bringing new hope to the world. He commanded his followers to love one another, and even to love their enemies.
“We seek to bring Jews and Gentiles together into God’s family,” Pastor Dowell often says.
Shiloh Messianic Congregation will be hosting a public memorial service for Nick Thalasinos on Saturday, December 19 at their regular 10:00 a.m. Shabbat service. The public and press are invited. Lev Shelo, a lively Messianic Jewish band, will provide music, to make the occasion more a celebration than a time of mourning.
