On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

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

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 turtledoves
                                                      and a partridge in a pear tree

And, finally, on Day twelve, we have the twelve points in the Apostles Creed.  The Apostle's Creed is one of the oldest creeds historically, dating in its earliest form back to the second century.  Therefore its roots belong to all Christians.  I leave it to my readers to argue the finer points of translation or acceptance (perhaps a set of reflections for another day)!

In a metaphorical sense, I see the eleven pipers announcing the big drums.. (or the faithful apostles handing down these twelve points of faith. 

At any rate, the twelve points contained in the Apostles Creed are as follows:

1.  I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2.  I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
3.  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary
4.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into hell.
5.   On the third day, he rose from the dead.  He ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of God the Father.
6.  He will return to judge the living and the dead.
7.  I believe in the Holy Spirit.
8.  I believe in the holy catholic church.
9.  I believe in the communion of saints.
10.  I believe in the forgiveness of sins.
11.  I believe in the resurrection of the body.
12.  I believe in life everlasting.


Dear God,

     Thank you for this statement of faith.  I find it interesting to ponder all these different statements.  I am not sure I have the capacity to even understand some of them.  But help me to grow and learn.

 Help me to keep an open mind in that I neither pray these words without thinking about them.... nor automatically reject what I do not understand.

This statement of faith has survived centuries.  It is worthy of some of my time and brain space to ponder!  Lead me to truth......  Amen.

 

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

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

 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 turtledoves
                                                 and a partridge in a pear tree

The eleven pipers piping refer to the eleven faithful apostles:

1.  Simon (or Peter)
2.  Andrew
3.  James
4.  John
5.  Philip
6.  Bartholomew
7.  Thomas
8.  Matthew
9.  James the Younger
10.  Thaddeus
11.  Simon the Zealot

I find it important to know the names of these men.. because most of us can only name one or two - and all of us know #12 - Judas.  These were ordinary men in their society... fishermen, tax collector, scribe, some related, some strangers, a revolutionary, some hot-headed and impulsive, some quiet and reflective, a teenager, a skeptic...  a good cross-section of ordinary people.  We have to wonder what it was about Jesus that brought these men together.... probably the same things that bring us together today.

But it is Judas I think about.  The traitor.  But I wonder if we can't call him the first and foremost traitor.  Because at the end of the road, only John stood with Jesus' mother at the foot of the cross.

I have read a lot about Judas and I wonder if he wasn't fully human doing what he thought was right and getting it all balled up.  Like maybe he trusted the religious establishment and felt that the safest place for Jesus that particular night was locked up and protected by his own people.  Maybe he did all the wrong things for very human and fearful reasons.  And, like we all do many times, didn't bother talking with his friends.... just blindly moved forward making decisions for somebody else..

Maybe he really was evil... but I tend to believe he was human.

So - today I will memorize the eleven because they deserve to be remembered.  But I will have compassion for the one.

Dear God,

       Whatever did you think when Jesus picked these men to stand by his side.  AND then left them behind to carry your work forward in the world?

      I am grateful that your logic is not the same as mine.  There is no way I would have chosen - specifically by name - these particular men in this particular time.  But Look!  Their efforts continue today.  Your Son walked here on the earth more than 2000 years ago - and thanks to you, of course, and these men (and their families!), the work continues.  This is nothing short of amazing!

     Please help me remember that my little efforts mean something.  Every little smile, every good and positive action, every time I do something to bring joy into the world... these efforts are like drops in the pool to build your kingdom.  Because I too was chosen.

     And have mercy on me, God.  Because like Judas, I can ball things up too... for right AND wrong reasons... that make sense to me at the time.  Help me make good choices - but again, have mercy on me when I make the wrong ones.  Amen,

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

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

 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 turtledoves
                                            and a partridge in a pear tree

And now, the ten lords a-leaping remind us of the ten commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai (in the Book of Exodus).   

Ten specific laws to govern behavior:

1.  I am the Lord your God, you shall not have other gods before me
2.  You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.
3.  Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.

4.  Honor your mother and your father.
5.  You shall not kill.
6.  You shall not commit adultery.
7.  You shall not steal.
8.  You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9.  You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
10.  you shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

Ten laws..... simple and complicated.  They are the basis of our Christian behavior... but clearly... following these to the letter is not quite enough to produce the fruits enumerated in Day 9.    
  
If you follow Jesus, you  know that he came to clarify the law of Moses as written in the Old Testament.  

In the sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapter 5 - where Jesus listed the Beatitudes.. see Day 8), he also spent a good deal of time talking about the Commandments.  He explains them in the light of love, how they relate to a life of following God.

And he explains again, in Matthew Chapter 22.  Some of the church elders were trying to trick and discredit him by asking him the greatest commandment. (If the TEN were critical, how could Jesus choose ONE?)

But Jesus was clear.. and addressed all ten.  They can be summarized into TWO

Matt 22: 37-40
    "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment."   [SUMMARIZES #1-3]
      "The second is like it, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."  [SUMMARIZES #4-10] 

Dear God,
     Here I am... still asking for help!  You are the one with all the answers..... and I have all the questions.  Which to follow?  Clearly the ten commandments are important... and clearly Jesus came to make sure we understand how to follow you.  Why is daily life not clear to me?  Why am I filled with questions?    How do I know which rule to follow?

      Gifts, laws, fruits, books, virtues..... how do I know what to apply to which decision?

     My trouble with the commandments is simple.  Most of it doesn't really apply.... I never really had to worry about killing people... envy is harder but more internal.  Lying - well I always get caught so I don't do it... (bad reason, I know - but an HONEST one.)   So I struggle with them - you have to INTERPRET them to make them work for you.
      Thank you for the gift of Jesus to make it clear... love God and love my neighbor... (AND MYSELF, but that is another prayer!).

       If it isn't of LOVE, it isn't of YOU.  Help me show your love in my little everyday life.  Amen.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

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

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 turtledoves
                                       and a partridge in a pear tree



The NINE ladies dancing refers to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned in St Paul's letter to the Galatians:

 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law^{."     Gal 5:22-23 NABRE}


    1.  Love
    2.  Joy
    3.  Peace
    4.  Patience
    5.  Kindness
    6.  Generosity
    7.  Faithfulness
    8.  Gentleness
    9.  Self-Control

St. Paul was telling the people of Galatia how to live their lives as new Christians.  He specified these characteristics as traits by which one could recognize people filled with the Holy Spirit.  He contrasts these "fruits" with envy and greed and anger and lack of self-control.

The way of the world versus the way of the Spirit.

 St Paul was being persecuted by legal authorities.  He was also being harassed by religious ones as the new religion was coming to life.  His letter was about discerning choices:  Does the law (or conventional choice / requirement) produce one of the fruits listed?  If not.... why are you doing it?

      We can tell God's people by their fruits. 


Dear God,
    
    Our lives are made up of little choices.  Every minute of every day is made up of a choice.   To smile or not to smile.  To be angry or not to be angry.  To smile and help a family member or to grumble and refuse... (or to grumble and do it anyway :-)

     Help me see the FRUIT, God.  Help me make the choices that mark me as one of your own who is filled with the Holy Spirit.  Help me CHOOSE WILLINGLY the path to love... to joy.. to self-control.

     And help me discern the fruits of those around me.  The world is a tricky place and people are often not what they portray themselves to be.   Regardless of religious or political affiliation, the FRUITS of people's actions are what I need use to make judgments.

     I ask you now, God.  Help me make my life bear your fruit.  Help me live a life that will show the world your love.  Amen.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

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

SEVEN swans a-swimming
     six geese a-laying..
         FIVE golden rings
             four calling birds
                 three French hens
                      two turtledoves
                          and a partridge in a pear tree


SEVEN.. for the gifts of the Holy Spirit...  There is some debate about the actual number of gifts from a couple of sources in the New Testament letters.. so I go all the way back to Isaiah 11:2-3a, where the gifts are applied to "the root of Jesse" in the foretelling of Jesus' coming..(which is 6.. and piety was added later)

"The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:

a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

A spirit of counsel and of strength,

a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,

and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD."

                  from NABRE

1.  Wisdom
2.  Understanding
3.  Counsel
4.  Fortitude  
5.  Knowledge
6.  Piety
7.  Fear of the Lord

Gifts of the Holy Spirit.....  in a sense, they are internal 'gifts' or abilities, to recognize the abstract qualities of our lives.... things that are not tangible..  things we cannot see.....  Qualities of life that require some faith!  Christians believe these gifts are bestowed in Baptism.

Wisdom, understanding and knowledge often confuse me.   Aren't they the same said three ways?

No....  wisdom is an inner life-sense of valuing faith.  Understanding allows us some comprehension of the workings of the universe, a limited comprehension of what we believe in.  And knowledge, well, knowledge gives us a broader perspective.  With knowledge, sometimes we can grasp a "God" view of a situation rather than our own limited personal...  humanly logical... view.

Counsel doesn't mean you give advice..... counsel means you can receive it!  That little inner voice - maybe you call it conscience or a hunch - I call it the Holy Spirit... THAT is counsel.  You have it already - do you listen to it enough to live according to your beliefs?

Fortitude - or strength - is a gift that allows you to be strong enough to live according to your belief system.

Fear of the Lord..... not fear like being afraid!  Fear, like respect.... of parents, of authority.  We want to do the right thing to please God.  We know already that God loves us.  We are not in charge of life itself.  We can pretend to be in control - but knowing TRUTH means we know we are NOT in control of much of anything.

Piety is a good addition.  It doesn't need to be in Isaiah because he was foretelling the coming of the Messiah - and we are NOT IT.  Piety adds a good dose of humility to the picture.  We have the gift of recognizing that we are not in control - of giving that control to God.  Willingly.... trustingly....  piety helps us have faith.

Dear God,

   Sometimes life is way too hard for me.  I just don't get it.  Why are things so confusing?

    When Jesus rose into heaven on Pentecost, he promised we wouldn't be left alone.  The Holy Spirit fulfills this promise.  These gifts we received allow us some measure of peace.... IF we allow it.

    I am grateful for these gifts you have given me, even though I don't really understand them.  How can I?  Please help me accept them, help me believe in them, and help me use them daily as I confront the material world I live in!

     The gifts are all about helping me be a better person with a greater understanding and love of you.  Help me go there.
  Amen.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

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

SIX geese a-laying..
         FIVE golden rings
             four calling birds
                 three French hens
                      two turtledoves
                          and a partridge in a pear tree


The six geese represent the SIX days where God created the world as described in Genesis.

I have long debated that "6 Days" is a fact since - as many of my readers might know - I do not believe that a) the Bible is written to be a factual account nor that b) the Bible has survived its many language translations intact.

I have seen many words come and go in my own language in my own lifetime.. (8-track immediately comes to mind.....  and how many people know what a record WAS?)  so why would I think we can accurately translate something written in an ancient language no longer spoken?  That was actually recounted in the oral tradition around campfires long before it was written?  How could it possibly survive intact?

AND WHY is it written?  Is it written to be a textbook?  Or to show us how to live good lives?

I have had this conversation many times with many people, many of whom claim that Scripture is literal - not to be interpreted.... until, in the same conversation when I point out passages about slavery.... I am gently reminded that society changes and some things are clearly to be interpreted.   At which point I leave the conversation - because in my mind, you can't have it both ways.  And it is not worth my time arguing about it.

But that is ME.. and MY position.

And, honestly....  in the grand scheme of things....

what does it matter?

What matters is that God created the world.
And he created me
And he gave me the world.


Dear God,

      Thank you... for this life and for this amazing earth you gave me.  Thank you for spending your time with the little details I often miss or don't appreciate.... the raindrop on a leaf, the way ants follow each other in a line, the sound of a hummingbird zooming by my ear...
       Thank you for the opportunities that abound each morning to re-create my life with your grace.

      Please help me be a responsible steward of your creation and always be mindful of what you have entrusted to my care.  Amen.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas

..my true love gave to me

FOUR calling birds
       three French hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree.


The four calling birds are said to refer to the four authors of the Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.   The Gospels reflect the important events and teachings of Jesus.

St Matthew was a tax collector... St Luke a doctor... St John was the baby of the group who was supposed to have become a fisherman.  His career became leading the newly emerging church - on the job training, if you will.  We don't know St Mark's occupation but since he was the first to write - he was probably a scribe.  Three were probably well-educated - with enough facility with language to record events. 


Dear God,
    When I think of the responsibility these men faced, it amazes me!  Setting down the life and teachings of their friend and mentor - not to mention Savior!

They were like me though....  just people.

Just men who interfaced with the world with writing and words.  Men who were trying to make sense out of the things they learned and witnessed... and the changes they experienced.

That we still read the Gospels and interpret them and use them to live our lives shows clearly that you had your hand in their creation.

Please help me find the time often to READ these Gospels with love.  Help me HEAR the message you send through the efforts these men like me!  And help me LIVE in such a way that the message is passed on!

Amen

On the Third Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

      THREE French hens
       two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree

According to what I read, this gift represents the three cardinal virtues.  Kind of a word play there - that hens represent cardinals....  sorry, my random brain can't stop making connections :-)

I couldn't find out much of significance about French hens.. but they must be special.... since the song is of 1700s English tradition.  I would think that a hen that made it from France to England would be special indeed.. probably a type different from the ordinary hens.  And, as a hen, the potential for producing more of this special breed would exist..

BUT.. the cardinal virtues....  Faith, Hope, and Love.

Faith... believing in that we cannot see or prove.  

Hope.... that spark of FAITH that things can always get better

Love... that YOU that ties everything together and makes life worth living

Dear God,

Please help me be like a child.  Help me see life the way YOU do - not the way I do...

 Please help me childlike..... help me have FAITH even though life continually reminds me that I should be logical... realistic... cynical....

 Please help me be childlike.....  help me have HOPE even though life continually reminds me that some situations appear hopeless, that it is HARD to wake up every day and go on when I can't see any way out...

Please help me be childlike... to LOVE even though life continually reminds me that I am unusual, different, unloveable.  

God, I understand life is not easy - I do not wish to be childISH.. self-centered and wanting to have fun all the time.  But I do want to BELIEVE like a child... to have HOPE like a child.. and to LOVE like a child... these 3 things... without too many questions...  Yes, I will have questions - and you know this because you made me just the way I am.  But to be able to have these 3 virtues - like a child - will give me the glimpse of heaven that will help me live the life you intended for me.

So I ask your help

Amen.

On the Second Day of Christmas

... My true love gave to me..

        TWO turtledoves....
AND a partridge in a pear tree.

Turtledoves are used over and over again in the Bible.... symbolically they are pure.  They were used by many as gifts to YOU.  And they appear in pairs.

In the song, they represent the TWO books of the Bible, the Old and New Testaments.

Sacred texts given to us where God is revealed to us.
Sacred texts given to us to help us learn how to live.

Dear God,

There is much in this world I do not understand.
Even much in these sacred texts that I do not understand for they often seem to conflict. 
 
But I do understand love.  The imagery of two doves..now at Christmas... and every day.. reminds me of love.

And you are love.

So many people claim to be experts on these two testaments of yours... but their interpretations are not loving.

And you are love.

So if what I read or hear about you does not reflect love

then there is something wrong with an interpretation or with my understanding

for you are the ULTIMATE LOVE

my TRUE LOVE.  Amen

On the First Day of Christmas,

.. my true love gave to me

a partridge in a pear tree.

According to legend, the partridge represents Jesus.

And I had to ask why God, my true love, would offer me a partridge as Jesus.

A female partridge protects her chicks.  She will do anything to lead predators away from her chicks.... even put herself at risk pretending to be injured.

So, God, I understand.

You will do anything to protect and save me.

Even give your only son to the world to destroy on a cross.


Dear God,
     I love.  I truly do love with all my heart and being.  But while I say I understand - with a mother's heart, I cannot honestly comprehend giving my child over to be killed.  Not for any reason.

      This is a mystery to me.  How could you love me SO MUCH that you could do that?  There is so much I do not understand.

But I CAN understand the love a partridge shows toward her chicks.   And I CAN think of your unbelievable love for me when I see this symbol of the season.

I am grateful, God... I really am.  And I do believe.  Thank you so much for loving me in my incomprehension of your ways.  Help me to be the person you want me to be... to be worthy of the attention you give me every day.   Amen

Twelve Days of Christmas

In this traditional carol of a true love sending an impossible number of impossibly extravagant gifts, there is a story.

A legend that this song was written as a secret catechism used at a time when to be a Catholic was to be a criminal..... one who would be killed for religious beliefs.  The song could be used to teach children (and others!) the tenets of the Catholic faith.

Each of the gifts, that grow in number and importance over time, represents gifts from God [the one who truly loves us].

Whether the song was used in this fashion or not, it is a unique opportunity for a devotional

which will begin [tradition again]

tomorrow

on

Christmas Day.