Thought for the Day 12/24/2021

 Friday Tale - 12 Days of Christmas? 

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? So I did some research.

    From 1558 until 1829, Christians in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a song for young Sunday School students. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to believers.

    Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember. 

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. 

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. 

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13). 

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. 

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation (Genesis 1). 

-Seven swans’ a-swimming represented seven gifts (talents) --Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy (Romans 12:6-8). 

-The eight maids’ a-milking were the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5). 

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of attitude--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control (Galatians 5:22-23). 

-The ten lords’ a-leaping were the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). 

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. 

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

    So there is your history for today. Now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol.

~ Jim Gentile (amended)

 The angel said to them, "Be not afraid, for behold,

I bring you good news of a great joy 
which will come to all people;
for unto is born this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
~ Luke 2:10-11