Days 6 & 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas

The weekend is upon us...and thus, 2012. Happy New Year to you all.
I spent the day launching my daughter, Lindsay, her husband Pete, and my twin grandchildren, Raewyn and Theo as they are flying back to England - their home. It's been a bit sad to say goodbye and yet we have some really good memories and stories from their vacation back home here.

This weekend is days 6 & 7 of the 12 days of Christmas.
The 12 days are thought to begin on Christmas day and end on the fift or sixth of January - the day of Epiphany, which is the celebration of the appearance of the wise men and their gifts to Jesus.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me,
six geese-a-laying...

In England, where the song originated, a goose was a traditional Christmas meal. I made one once, and because it was a wild goose it was given a thumbs down by my family. Yet Geese were important because they were domesticated so that not only did they lay eggs to provide a constant source of food, but they also were raised as a delicacy to eat.
Symbolically, the six geese represented the six days of creation, when God "laid" the foundation for creation, and thus "feeds" the earth.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me,
seven swans a swimming...

Swans are considered to be graceful, beautiful birds...even given as gifts in old England when this song was probably composed.
So what did the authors have in mind?
Isaiah 11:1-2 (NIV)
¹A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
²The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--

The scripture says there are seven aspects of the ministry of Jesus:
1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Power
5. Knowledge
6. Fear of the Lord
7. The Spirit of the Lord rests on Him

Comments

Wednesday, Day 25: Christmas Eve - God Loves Us (So We Can Relax)

For Kids: There’s a lot of things we have to do each day. Get up from our sleep, Get dressed, Eat Breakfast, Get ready for School, Listen to the teacher, play with friends, eat our lunch, and after it’s all done, go back home. There’s time to play, Then we eat our supper… And eventually we have to get ready for bed and go to sleep! And then we do it all over again the next day. Sometimes there’s a vacation - like right now - and we get more time to play, to have fun and not have to do work at school. Our parents are good at helping us know what time it is and what we need to do next – even when we don’t want to move on to the next thing. God is also good at helping us know what time it is, and what is next. He doesn’t shout at us, or yell, or even scream…he does it peacefully, quietly. He wants us to understand that he does it, most of all, for us. Christmas can be quite busy and there’s lots of things going on at once…but let us not forg

The Tabernacle

The readings today are Exodus 36, 37, 38 I wanted to post some pictures of what these various parts of the Tabernacle looked like. It's not the easiest read in the world, but if you persevere through it, you can get a picture of all the different pieces that made up the tabernacle. It is a replica of the various parts of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: First thing in the chapter listed is the outside of the tabernacle which consisted of curtains tied together and put on cross bars through loops. Next at the beginning of 37 is the table and lampstand: Also, the altar of incense: And, the altar for the burnt offering which was in the courtyard: Finally, the courtyard which made it all come together: Hope that helps with what it might have all looked like. Most importantly, this was their "place" of worship they were building. I hope you have a great day of worship. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The difference between defending and explaining

The news of recent has focused the suffering of Christians in the middle east who have been martyred for their faith in Christ at the hands of Islamic Terrorists. Through the centuries many Christians have lost their lives as a result of their faith. For us, who live in America, there is little chance that we would have this happen here - but it's entirely possibly that terrorism will strike out at Christians sometime. But, for many Christians in the western world - especially here in the U.S. - being a Christians who believes God's word there is a form of persecution that is defined by words like "ostracized", "passed over", "ridiculed", and more. What do we do in the face of opposition to faith? When the Apostle Peter writes to the early believers who are undergoing great pressure, even persecution for their faith in Jesus, he gives them this charge. 1 Peter 3:8-18 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly lov

Elliott's Muses

Search This Blog