As each of us prepare for this Holiday Season, we want to wish your family all the blessedness the Lord has for you. Here at HOME we are thankful for each one of you, your generosity, and for the protection and provisions the Lord has provided this year.
With all the uncertainty in the world, especially after 9/11, we would like to recommend that you take a moment during this extremely busy time to reflect on our God who loves us so. How wonderful it is to know that despite what may happen in this world, we have security in the Lord. How thankful we should be that God saw how deprived we were without Him, and took it upon Himself to lift us out of the situation. How blessed it must have been the night He came in the form of a tiny baby. It is widely known that December 25th isn't when Jesus was actually born, but it still gives us a day to celebrate the greatest news. . . that He was born! May you and your family have several moments of pure joy just remembering 'what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us...'
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
There may be one Christmas Carol that has always baffled you. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come our of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
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The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. |
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Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. |
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Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. |
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The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. |
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The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. |
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The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. |
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Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. |
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The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. |
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Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. |
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The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments. |
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The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. |
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The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed. |
Submitted by homeschooling mom Barb Frost