I Have Never Heard This Before…
Today, I was surfing through some sermon illustrations and I ran across this article. I have never heard this before and I wanted to pass it along to you and see if any of you have ever heard this or know of its accuracy. The source, R. J. Morgan’s work, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations and Quotes, is a very reliable resource.
**UPDATE** – I posted a link to this article on Twitter and Facebook seeking to gain a little insight to the validity of the article and Les Ferguson Jr (@LesFergusonjr) responded with this link from Snopes: The 12 Days of Christmas. It is a neat thought, but I am glad Les was able to find out the information for me! Thanks Les! I am surprised R. J. Morgan included it in his book, but oh well, Interesting thoughts. You have given me the answer I was looking for. Thanks again Les! (December 23rd, 2009 at 4:22 pm by CMG)
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Many historians believe the well-known song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is actually a Christian hymn in disguise. During the reign of England’s Queen Elizabeth I, a staunch Protestant, English Catholics were oppressed and persecuted. Priests met secretly with small groups of Catholics, risking their lives to conduct worship and observe mass.
Under such circumstances, it was difficult to train or catechize Catholic children. But an unknown, clever priest found a unique way of teaching the Gospel to children, using the theme of the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, when the Wise Men, according to tradition, arrived with their gifts for the Christchild.
The priest hid biblical truth in the symbols he used in his carol, beginning with the words On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me.… The “True Love” referred to God the Father, and the “Me” represents the Christian who receives the gifts. The “Partridge in the Pear Tree” is Jesus. Why a partridge? Mother partridges are known for feigning injury to decoy predators from their babies. The children were thereby taught about Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.
The two turtle doves represented the Old and New Testaments.
The three French hens symbolized faith, hope, and love—the three great virtues we should display as we come to know Christ as Lord and read the Old and New Testaments. The other symbols:
- Four calling birds—the four Gospels
- Five golden rings—the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch
- Six geese a laying—the six days of creation
- Seven swans a-swimming—the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Eight maids a-milking—the eight Beatitudes of Matthew 5
- Nine ladies dancing—nine choirs of angels
- Ten lords a-leaping—the Ten Commandments
- Eleven pipers piping—the eleven faithful apostles
- Twelve drummers drumming—the twelve articles of the Apostles’ Creed*
* Clipping in my files
Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (112). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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What are your thoughts?
Chris
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