Thursday, December 2, 2010

Hanukkah's Green Energy Lesson


‘TWAS 176 BCE AND THROUGHOUT THE LAND

WICKED KING ANTIOCHUS MADE ALL FOLLOW  HIS COMMAND

HE SAID, “JEWS SHALL WORSHIP THE GODS OF THE GREEK,’

BUT OLD MATTHATHIAS WAS NOT SO MEEK.

HE GATHERED TOGETHER HIS SONS AND SOME OTHERS

AND THEY HID IN THE HILLS, STRIKING  BACK UNDER COVER.

THEY SHOWED THE SYRIANS AN AWESOME FIGHT

LED BY JUDAH MACABEE, A HAMMER OF MIGHT.

TIL THE FORCES OF ANTIOCHUS WERE FORCED INTO FLIGHT.

 

BY DECEMBER 165 BCE

JERUSALEM  WELCOMED THE TRIUMPHANT MACABEES.

WHO ENTERED THE CITY WITH  SUCH  A GREAT CLATTER

 EVERYONE GATHERED TO SEE WHAT WAS THE MATTER.

‘THE TEMPLE’S A MESS,” JUDAH EXCLAIMED.

“IT MUST BE REDEDICATED, AND RECLAIMED.”

“BUT JUDAH,”  THEY SAID, “ THERE’S NOT ENOUGH OIL

TO KEEP THE SACRED LIGHT GOING.  I THINK WE’RE FOILED.

WE NEED 8 DAYS OF OIL AND WE ONLY HAVE ONE.”

NOBODY KNEW WHAT WAS TO BE DONE.

 

FOLKS SITTING HERE NOW MAY STOP AND WONDER

HOW THEY HAPPENED INTO SUCH A BLUNDER.

BUT ASK YOURSELF  - -  ARE WE ANY BETTER?

OR IS OIL AND ITS SHORTAGE STILL GOT US IN FETTERS.

IN THOSE DAYS,  A MIRACLE MADE EVERYTHING STRAIGHT.

THE OIL MEANT FOR ONE DAY, LASTED FOR 8.

SO TODAY EVERY HANUKAH WE REMEMBER A TIME

WHEN OIL WAS SHORT, BUT FAITH HELD UP JUST FINE.

 

AND NOW  COMPARE OUR PLIGHT TO THE MACABEES.

THEY NEEDED ENERGY, AND SO DO WE.

THEIR   RESOURCES WERE SCARCE AND HARD TO GET.

OURS ARE NO BETTER, THEY’LL RUN OUT ON US YET.

BUT THE JEWS LOOKED UP, AND KNEW THEY  WEREN’T BEAT.

THEY FOUND A BETTER SOURCE OF HEAT.

 

WHILE YOU MAY THINK THAT TIME IS DONE,

AND THERE’S NO MORE MIRACLES FOR ANYONE,

OUR MIRACLE, TOO, IS ALL AROUND.

LISTEN, AND YOU’LL HEAR THE SOUNDS:

WIND WHISPERS OVER AND THROUGH THE HILLS,

WATER RUNS IN RIVERS AND IN RILLS,

AND TOMORROW WHEN YOU RISE

THE SUN WILL HELP YOU OPEN YOUR EYES.

 

HANUKAH STILL TEACHES US  TO DO OUR PART.

GREAT ENERGY IS WITHIN OUR HEARTS.

FOR HERE IS SOMETHING THAT THE MACABEES  KNEW.

ALL MIRACLES BEGIN, WITH ME AND WITH YOU.