Unwrapping the Faith

Unwrapping the Faith in 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' with Pastor Bob
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On Sunday, after worship, Greg mentioned to me that we just ended The Twelve Days of Christmas (Christmastide) and we talked about the song The 12 Days of Christmas. I asked him if he knew the spiritual meaning of the song to which he did not. I gave a brief summary and he said, "that would be a good newsletter article." Greg’s comment struck a chord because many of us sing this song during the season without realizing its rich spiritual symbolism, making it a meaningful topic to explore in this week’s newsletter.

The “Twelve Days of Christmas” is more than a popular song sung at this time of the year. In the Christian tradition, there is a season of 12 days of Christmas. It is called Christmastide. The 12 days may vary from Christmas Day to January 5th , or from the day after Christmas to January 6th which is the Day of Epiphany. Epiphany is celebrated as the day of the Magi coming to find and worship Jesus.

What about the song? Are you aware that it is over 400 years old, not as a song but as a writing about faith and the Bible? The religious wars in 16th-century England made it dangerous to be a Catholic and many people practiced their faith in secret. As the story goes, Catholic families developed unique ways to secretly pass the faith onto their children. One of those ways is the now well-known song, which was not written as a song but as a writing that contained hidden references to the Christian faith.

It begins with “My true love gave to me,” which is a reference to the One who truly loves us, God, our Father, giving us the gifts of life and salvation.

The first gift is “a partridge in a pear tree.” A partridge is a bird known to sacrifice its life for its babies. This bird represents Jesus, who willingly gave his life for us. The pear tree symbolizes the Cross.

Then follows gifts 2 through 12:

• Two turtle doves: turtle doves often mate for life. Because of this, they are seen as symbols of love, fidelity, and connection and represent the Old and New Testament, which are deeply connected and meaningful.
• Three French hens: signify the three virtues of faith, hope, and love, or another  presentation is of the Trinity, God Three in One.
• Four calling birds: symbolize the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which call out the good news of Jesus’ life and teachings.
• Five golden rings: represent the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch or the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
• Six geese a-laying: symbolize the six days of creation, emphasizing God's power as the creator of the world.
• Seven swans a-swimming: represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
• Eight maids a-milking: are the eight Beatitudes preached by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are…. “
• Nine ladies dancing: remind us of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
• Ten lords a-leaping: signify the Ten Commandments, God’s guidance given through Moses on Mount Siani for living in relationship with God and each other.
• Eleven pipers piping: are the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus who are the pipes, the spokespersons, through whom Jesus communicated his message to the world: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Younger, Simon, and Jude.
• Twelve drummers drumming: tap out the twelve points of doctrine in the  Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the core beliefs of Christianity.

It would not be easy to sing all the words of each meaning as lyrics, but now to sing the song as we do may have a new meaning for us not so much as a popular song but as a song that reminds us of what we believe about God, Jesus and the teachings of Scripture.

Happy Twelve Days of Christmas to you, just past or in anticipation of its coming again.

- Pastor Bob

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