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The 12 Days of
Christmas
As a Kid,
I initially liked the song the "12 Days of Christmas" but after awhile, as I
grew up, it became tedious and boring. Besides, I never could remember anything
higher than "5 Golden rings"
Then one day I was told what the
author of the original was thinking. Suddenly the song came alive to me, and now
it is one of my favorites again. And I can usually remember all 12 items
too!
On the
1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... my "true love" is Jesus
Christ, the savior and, of course, the whole reason for
Christmas.
A partridge in a pear tree: A
partridge will run away from the nest, letting the fox chase it. Then, if it
thinks the eggs are still in danger, it will stop running and let the fox catch
it. The pear tree is a fruit tree - the fruit represents the original sin in the
Garden of Eden with the tree being the material that the cross was made out of.
This verse is to remind us that Jesus willingly died on the cross for us. It is
also the first verse so it is sung 12 times, emphasizing that it is the most
important verse. (Note that Biblical exegetically speaking, the 12th verse is
the least important.)
2 turtle doves. 2 Doves or 2 pigeons were
sacrificed to God for the birth of every son "after the time of purification" according to
the Levitical law. Joseph and Mary did so.
3 French hens. Back when the song
was written, French Hens were one of the most expensive gifts possible.
Literally worth more than their weight in Gold - and this is back when Platinum
was a "useless byproduct" of no value. A present of ONE French hen would be a
suitable gift for any King. A present of THREE French hens would be extravagant
to the maximum. The 3 French hens represent the Trinity. God the Father, God the
Son and God the Holy Spirit.
4 calling birds: The 4 Gospels.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 4 stories of the life of Jesus told in 4 different
ways for different audiences. We have the pleasure of being able to read all 4.
5 golden rings. The Pentateuch.
Most of the rest of the Bible's theology and meaning can be found in the first 5
books of the Bible - the Penta (five) tuch. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy. 6 geese a laying. Eggs have represented new life and creation for a
long time.
6 geese a laying are the 6 days of
creation (God rested on the 7th) 7 swans a swimming. Beautiful, Gracious, words
that describe both the
7 swans a swimming and one list of
Gifts in the Bible that contains
7 Spiritual Gifts.
8 maids a milking. This one I
can't remember. One person told me he thought it was the B-attitudes. But there
are 9 of those. Another explanation was that it stood for "5 loaves and 3
fishes" because of the concept of nourishment (a-milking)
9 ladies dancing. The Fruits of
the spirit - Love, Joy Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness,
Gentleness, Self Control (Gal 5:22)
10 lords a leaping. A lord
commands and people must obey. Unlike Ladies Dancing, Lords a leaping leads to
think more authoritative, "stomping" thoughts. So we have: the 10 commandments.
11 pipers piping. When pipers pipe, people, children, snakes are said to follow.
The 11 faithful disciples are the
11 pipers piping.
12 drummers drumming. Try this
with a class of kids - start banging a drum and walk around - we tried it in our
Sunday school class. Within 15 seconds, every child was in line going exactly
where I had walked. The Apostle's Creed, with 12 statements of what we believe,
keep us remembering what we believe and staying in line with our beliefs.
While I still sing the song the
traditional way, I can't help but think of the meaning behind each of the gifts
now. And, in my Fall 1999, Grade 4 Sunday School class, we decided to sing it
with bluntness and a whole lot of fun.
On the 12th day of Christmas, my
Savior gave to me:
-
12 things we
KNOW
-
11 faithful
disciples
-
10 great
commandments
-
9 Fruits of the
Spirit
-
All the food we
need
(I wanted a gag about “ate” – pun on “eight” – but I haven't yet been able to
fit it into the metre yet)
-
7 Spiritual Gifts
-
6 Days of
Creation
-
ONE Pentatuch (still got the "5" because Penta means
5)
-
4 gospels
-
THE trinity
(still got the "3" as in "Trin")
-
2 Doves killed for Jesus (yes
it fits in time using 1/8th notes)
-
And Jesus died on the cross for
me. (Hold the "And" for 2 beats and then it fits the metre perfectly)
(you can figure the other 11
verses out pretty easily!)
Copyright 1999 and 2004, Peter Horwood and
the 9:00 Grade 4 Centre Street Evangelical Church Sunday School class of Fall
1999.
Permission is hereby granted for any private or public no for profit use as long as
the credit above is given.
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