Monday, December 29, 2014

On the Fifth Day of Christmas

..my true love gave to me....

  FIVE golden rings
             four calling birds
                 three French hens
                      two turtledoves
                          and a partridge in a pear tree

In the teaching tradition, the five golden rings refer to the first five books of the Old Testament....  Genesis.. the story of our beginning
                      Exodus.. the story of our bondage and redemption
                      Leviticus... the story of holiness and worship
                      Numbers.. the story of wanderings, faith and change
                      Deuteronomy... a review

These books, the Christian Pentateuch, are also called the Torah and are the Jewish sacred scripture.  They are also considered important in Islam.  Historical scholars know more than I so please forgive me if I write something incorrect.

So Jesus, who was a Jew, studied these scriptures too.

Our differences really grow as the books have been translated over time from language to language.

But the message here - to me - is a common history of a divided people.  Kind of like when my grown kids all leave to live their own quite separate lives.  And they are valid good lives.

It is important for us to remember God's plan.  A plan of unity and peace that should override the decisions and choices we make for ourselves and our families.

Dear God,

     Please help me remember that you are a God of love, a God of peace.  YOU are our root, our common denominator.  Your graciously gave us free will to live our lives as we choose... but you did not give us free rein to hurt each other, our brothers and sisters.

    Please give me a heart for peace.  And help me use the FIVE golden rings to remember that we are all related.. through YOU!  Amen.


                       







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