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12-23-2007, 07:44 AM
“12 Days of Christmas”
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.” — Matthew 2:1 NIV
We are familiar with the song that begins, "On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree." But did you ever wonder why they sang about 12 days of Christmas, when we only celebrate one? It is because there is a tradition that there are 12 days between Christmas Day and Epiphany, which is considered to be the day on which the three Wise Men came to worship Jesus. It used to be the custom to celebrate the 12 days by giving a gift on each day, rather than placing all the gifts under the Christmas tree. I imagine that today we are much too impatient for that.
But it would be wonderful to continue to celebrate Christ's unselfish love for others long after Christmas Day is over. We don't have to do that with actual gifts, but we can give even better gifts -- "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). Wouldn't it be a magnificent world if all of us did that?
Paul Tillich wrote, "Joy has something within itself that is beyond joy and sorrow. This something is called blessedness -- is asked for and promised in the Bible. It makes the joy of life possible in pleasure and pain, in happiness and unhappiness, in ecstasy and sorrow. Where there is joy, there is fulfillment. And where there is fulfillment, there is joy." When you are able to feel peace and joy within yourself, you can pass that on, along with other fruit of the spirit, to those around you, bringing Christmas joy into their hearts, no matter the time of year.
Almighty Father, thank you for your gifts to us. Show us ways to pass these gifts on to others throughout all the days of the year. Amen.
“Prayerful Living”
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.” — Matthew 2:1 NIV
We are familiar with the song that begins, "On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree." But did you ever wonder why they sang about 12 days of Christmas, when we only celebrate one? It is because there is a tradition that there are 12 days between Christmas Day and Epiphany, which is considered to be the day on which the three Wise Men came to worship Jesus. It used to be the custom to celebrate the 12 days by giving a gift on each day, rather than placing all the gifts under the Christmas tree. I imagine that today we are much too impatient for that.
But it would be wonderful to continue to celebrate Christ's unselfish love for others long after Christmas Day is over. We don't have to do that with actual gifts, but we can give even better gifts -- "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). Wouldn't it be a magnificent world if all of us did that?
Paul Tillich wrote, "Joy has something within itself that is beyond joy and sorrow. This something is called blessedness -- is asked for and promised in the Bible. It makes the joy of life possible in pleasure and pain, in happiness and unhappiness, in ecstasy and sorrow. Where there is joy, there is fulfillment. And where there is fulfillment, there is joy." When you are able to feel peace and joy within yourself, you can pass that on, along with other fruit of the spirit, to those around you, bringing Christmas joy into their hearts, no matter the time of year.
Almighty Father, thank you for your gifts to us. Show us ways to pass these gifts on to others throughout all the days of the year. Amen.
“Prayerful Living”