Grace Note for December 23, Is it a hidden code teaching us mysteries of Christmas? Or is it an urban legend? For most of us, Christmas Day is the commemoration of Christ’s birth and is celebrated by exchanging gifts. But in some traditions gifts are exchanged on January 6th, the Day of Epiphany, which celebrates when the wise men first encountered the baby Jesus. It was also customary to exchange small gifts on the twelve days from December 25th until January 6th. This time was referred to as the Twelve Days of Christmas, and is why the song by the same name mentions gifts of everything from a partridge in a pear tree to twelve drummers drumming. But what do these strange gifts mean? Throughout the song we are told of gifts given by “my true love.” This, it was taught, was a reference to God. His first gift was a partridge in a pear tree, which meant Christ on the cross. A mother partridge will sacrifice her own life in order to protect her young. So Christ gave His life in order to save others. The two turtle doves stood for the Old Testament and the New Testament. Three French hens for the three lasting gifts mentioned in the New Testament: faith, hope, and love. And so forth through all the gifts.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:37:18 +0000
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