December 16, 2007

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  SundayPM (late) Update!  Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers for my husband, Lewis!  He did drive home last night, and got here around 9:30PM … he said it was raining the whole way, but after he had been home for about a half an hour, it started raining ice!  I’m so thankful that God kept him safe!  It had started snowing here yesterday, then tapered off and turned to that icy mix … this morning we woke up to about a total of 4 inches here.  It’s so pretty, but very cold now …. a frigid 18 degrees!  Brrrr!  We spent the day at home … they cancelled church services this morning, due to the weather.  We have a good sized hill that leads to the church, and when there’s ice on it, there’s no gettin’ up there!  We’ve been there and done that, and also the roads to the church were pretty treacherous this morning as well.  So, we had our own little time in the Word together, then we cooked breakfast together.  We also watched an old B/W movie with Cary Grant, called “The Bishop’s Wife”.  First time I’ve seen it, and it was so sweet!  I wonder how I could have ever missed that one!  I heard they did a remake, but I don’t think I’d ever want to see that one … I like the old movies the best! 
  
  We wanted to go out and build a ‘snow couple’ but as I said it was cold … and I can’t for the life of me remember where I put our longjohns!  Lol!!  So we opted to stay in, and had chili soup, with fresh vegies and dip for dinner, then after that, we decided to bake a huge batch of pumpkin bread so we could send some to Ian!  We ended up with 11 loaves!!  I gave some to my brother-in-law when he stopped by earlier tonight, and Lewis will take some tomorrow to the men who work for him.  After we send Ian his loaves, we’ll pass more around, and of course we’ll keep a loaf, or 2, for ourselves!  It’s yummy with peppermint tea!  After all that baking the house smells wonderful … we’re warm and safe … and the snow looks beautiful out there … it’s a perfect winter’s night, the air is crisp … the skys are clear, and the moon and stars are shining so bright … I’m so thankful for the blessings that God has given us!  I do hope you’re all safe!  Let me know how things are your way, did you get ice, snow, or both, and how much snow!  We didn’t get it as bad as was predicted … but I would have loved about 6 more inches of it!  Enjoy your evening, stay warm, and have a great Monday!   
  
  Hugs,
                 ~ Deborah <><
  
  The spirit of Christmas needs to superseded by the Spirit of Christ.
  The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal.
  The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural.
  The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person.
  That makes all the difference in the world.
  ~Stuart Briscoe
  
  

  

  
  
  I found this online and thought it was interesting.  Thought I’d share it with you.  Has anyone ever read this before? 
  
  THE ORIGIN OF THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS ~ 
  
  People often think of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ as the days preceding the festival. Actually, Christmas is a season of the Christian Year that lasts for the twelve days beginning December 25 and lasting until January 6 – the Day of Epiphany, when the church celebrates the revelation of Christ as the Light of the world and recalls the journey of the magi.

  From 1558 until 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly.  During that era someone wrote ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public without the risk of persecution.

  ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ is, in essence, an allegory. The song has two levels of interpretation: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church.

  Each element in the carol is a code word for a religious reality. The “true love” represents God and the “me” who receives these presents is the Christian (a Catholic in this case).

  1st Day:	The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them.  The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve.  It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.
  2nd Day:	The “two turtle doves” refers to the Old and New Testaments.
  3rd Day:	The “three French hens” stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).
  4th Day:	The “four calling birds” refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.
  5th Day:	The “five golden rings” represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah~ or the Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
  6th Day:	The “six geese a-laying” is the six days of creation.
  7th Day:	The “seven swans a-swimming” refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
  8th Day:	The “eight maids a milking ” reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.
  9th Day:	The “nine ladies dancing” were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
  10th Day:	The “ten lords a-leaping” represents the Ten Commandments
  11th Day:	The “eleven pipers piping” refers to the eleven faithful apostles.
  12th Day:	The ‘twelve drummers drumming” were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

  So the next time you hear “The 12 Days of Christmas,” consider how this otherwise non-religious-sounding song had its origins in the Christian faith. 
  
  
  

  
  

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