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The song begins with these familiar words: “On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me,” and it is repeated 12 times throughout the song. “My true love” is God. Ever since the days of creation, God has had a love affair with his creation. Even when his creation turned their backs on him, he loved them nonetheless. The scriptures are a testament to that fact: John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world.” God is our true love, and he has given us some marvelous gifts – the first of these being on the first day of Christmas.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree.
The First day of Christmas is, of course, Christmas Eve, the night of our dear Savior’s birth. The single bird spoken of here is to remind the young believer of Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the father, a branch from the stem of Jesse, from the family tree of David.
John 1:14
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, two turtledoves.
Two Turtledoves, or Mourning Doves, were to remind the young believer of the Old and New Testaments: the living word of God. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the cradle in which we find Christ.
John 20:30-31
On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, three French hens.
The three stands for three treasures of the church: faith, hope and love.
Hebrews 11:1, Romans 8:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 12-13
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, four calling birds.
The four calling birds were the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Through the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, the Gospel writers, through the power of the Holy Spirit, call people to faith in Jesus Christ.
Luke 1:1-4
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, five golden rings.
The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, which was found in the first five books of the Old Testament, the books of Moses, called the Pentateuch.
Romans 6:14, 22-23
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, six geese a-laying.
You have probably heard the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” That question deals with creation. The six geese a-laying in our song stand for the six days of creation.
Genesis 1:31-2:1
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, seven swans a-swimming.
The seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 12:6-8
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, eight maids a-milking.
The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes that Jesus spoke to the multitudes one day on the mountain side. Just as milk does not come from the cow on its own, but it needs help from another, when Jesus spoke, he did not speak on his own initiative, but he relied upon another, His Heavenly Father, to help him in what he did. “And opening His mouth,” Jesus knew that there was something to be said, but he did not know what. He did not have notes on the subject ready to pull out of his pocket, but he was ready for whatever his heavenly father wanted to say. I think that is why we read in the scripture “And opening His mouth.”
Matthew 5:2-10
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, nine ladies dancing.
It takes time to learn how to dance. Dancing is not usually something one decides to do and goes out and does it. Nine ladies dancing were to remind the young Christians of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, fruits that took time to develop in a believer’s life.
Galatians 5:22-23
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, ten lords a-leaping.
The ten Lords a-leaping were to remind the young believer of the Ten Commandments. The commandments were given because our “True Love,” God, loves us so much. Parents tell their children not to play in the street, not because they don’t want them to play, but because their parents love them and they do not want their children to get hurt. So, too, God has given us the Ten Commandments, because he loves us so much, and he does not want us to get hurt. The ten Lords are leaping for joy because their heavenly father loves them so much.
Exodus 20:1-17
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, eleven pipers piping.
To “pipe up” is to speak up or to say something. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. The eleven disciples made a point to “speak up,” to tell others of the Good News of Jesus Christ. As a result of the faithful eleven disciples, the Good News spread from Jerusalem to the four corners of the world, and it spread clear down to us here at Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in 2023.
Acts 1:12-13
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, twelve drummers drumming.
You have probably heard the saying that a person "marches to the beat of a different drum.” Well, as Christians we “march to the beat of a different drum.” The last day of Christmas is called the "Twelfth Day,” and in our carol today, the twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.
ANSWER: SO, how many gifts?
Note that on the first day, there is one gift.
The second day there are THREE gifts (two doves and a partridge).
The third day, there are SIX gifts (three hens, two doves and a partridge)
By day 3 you are already up to 10 gifts!
Yes, some folks will argue that you need to count all the gifts repeatedly, but not in this story.
So, the total for all 12 days? That's 364, enough for every day of the year, except for one. That one is the gift of Christmas, as we receive the greatest gift of all, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Fritz Wiese
Receive this benediction:
God has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
May you experience his kindness and blessings
and be strong in faith, in hope and in love.
Because you are followers of Christ,
Who appeared as a light shining in the darkness,
May he make you a light to all your sisters and brothers.
The wise men followed a star, and found Christ who is light from light.
May you too find the Lord when your pilgrimage is ended.
Go now in peace, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
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