The miracle of the oil is a simple one. There wasn’t enough oil to keep the lamp lit for more than one day, but it lasted eight full days. Just enough time to get more.
This year has reminded me a lot of the fragility of history. The “year in review” videos are popping up on FaceBook, websites, news channels. Social stability, the economy, and heck, even the weather seems delicate enough to go any which way. The future has exposed its own uncertainty
Sometimes I hesitate to call it until I get a clear sense that “everything is going to be ok. But I usually don’t get to see everything, let alone be assured that it is ok. The miracle of Chanukah is not that the entire outcome of the future was revealed. The miracle was not the sudden appearance of endless amounts of oil. It was just enough oil each night for one more day, for just enough days… until they could get more oil.
I have come to believe hope carries itself with us like a small lantern: Just enough to see the step you are on, and the next one you need to take. It turns out that kind of light can take you anywhere.
One Comment
Matt
The scripture says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet” not a “Lamp unto the entire journey”