The Meaning of The Twelve Days of Christmas

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1, NASB)

I’m sure you’ve heard the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” many times during the holiday season. So, can you name the gifts given on all twelve days?

The song started in 18th century England as a memory-and-forfeit game for children. They would each sing the song and add a new verse to the previous ones sung by the prior participant. If someone forgot a verse, they would have to pay a “forfeit” of candy or a kiss to the others. It is believed the carol also served as a catechism for the tenets of the Christian faith. Here is the meaning of each gift;

· A Partridge in a Pear Tree - Jesus Christ · Two Turtle Doves - The Old and New Testaments · Three French Hens - The three virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity · Four Calling Birds - Four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John · Five Golden Rings - First five books of the Old Testament · Six Geese-a-Laying - Six days of creation before God's rest on the seventh day · Seven Swans-a-Swimming - Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit · Eight Maids-a-Milking - Eight Beatitudes · Nine Ladies Dancing - Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit · Ten Lords-a-Leaping - Ten Commandments · Eleven Pipers Piping - Eleven faithful disciples

· Twelve Drummers Drumming -Twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed The Twelve Days of Christmas are the period between Christmas Day on December 25th and the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. They signify the time between Jesus’ birth and the manifestation of his divinity to the Gentiles represented by the Magi.

Epiphany reminds me of Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” The Hebrew word for arise (kumi) means to arise and be restored, as in the command Jesus gave the lame man at the pool of Bethesda to arise. (John 5:1-15) In this miracle, God's glory shown through the man's healing, and even more so through Jesus’ epiphany to him as Messiah.

Many rabbis believe that when the Messiah comes, all will be restored. We, like the healed man, know that the Messiah - Jesus - has come and this epiphany enables us to experience his love more and more in our lives, like the brightening of the rising sun.

Keep on abiding,

Steve