SERIES
Did you know that the 12 Days of Christmas are more than just twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree?
The twelve days of Christmas actually represent the 12 days between the Birth of Jesus (Christmas) and the Epiphany, the day we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men and the revelation of Christ as the light of the world.
The Twelve Days of Christmas carol was written during an era when Christians could not openly practice their faith. Therefore each verse has a hidden message for us as Christians:
The partridge in the pear tree represents Jesus because a partridge is willing to sacrifice its life if necessary to protect its young. The two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. The three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The five golden rings represented the first five books of the Old Testament. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. Seven swans a-swimming represented the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit-----Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy (a blog series for another time). The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit-----love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Apostles. Finally, the twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed. Each verse ends by returning our focus to Jesus.
For the next twelve days, although not exactly the twelve days after Christmas on our calendar, I will post on each of the Twelve Blessings of Christmas : Joy, Love, Faith, Grace, Peace, Blessing, Hope, Home, Mercy, Glory, Praise, and Charity.
When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to watch on television was Great American Country's Top 20 Countdown. I had the pleasure of watching music videos while simultaneously listening to my favorite songs!
This blog series will feature 20 praise and worship songs that mean the most to me. These next 20 posts will see A LOT of changes, new chapters, old memories, newer memories, heartache, tears, happiness, sadness, joy, and lots and lots of coffee and Jesus.
Each day during this series, I will link a video for the song of the day. I encourage you to listen to the song(s) first and then read the conversation.
Enjoy!
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