Thursday, December 25, 2008

12 Days of Christmas

a Biblical thought...
"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:37-38)

a Book thought...
Second chair leadership is unique because it is not strictly based on the power and authority of positional leadership. A person who is able to succeed by influencing others is a more effective leader than one who issues edicts to be obeyed. (p2)

a Dave thought...
This is a very funny video clip from Godtube.com that was shown this morning at the Christmas Day Service at Box Hill. Winton also shared the meaning behind the famous carol the 12 Days of Christmas...

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.

1st Day: The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross.
2nd Day: The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.
3rd Day: The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).
4th Day: The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.
5th Day: The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
6th Day: The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.
7th Day: The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
8th Day: The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.
9th Day: The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
10th Day: The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments
11th Day: The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.
12th Day: The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

Just a thought.

2 comments:

Timothy said...

So, what part of the song 12 Days of Christmas is distintly Catholic and does not apply to any other Christian sects? Winton seems to have succumbed into an urban legend.

12 Days of Christmas Myth
http://christian-apologetics-society.blogspot.com/2008/12/12-days-of-christmas-myth.html

Anonymous said...

Dave, I am concerned that you have missed the point of the Apostles Creed. The issue it tackles is one of our religious agenda... not so much about the number of days it took to write.

Maybe it's time you took off the polo shirt and took your uniform to the street.