If you finished the title with “of Christmas”, then you are correct. As we finish celebrating another Christmas Day, commemorating the birth of our Savior, we turn our focus to the next twelve days – culminating in the celebration of Epiphany. This day is traditionally recognized as the time the Wise Men appeared with their gifts to give the baby Jesus. As children, we all sang the silly song supposedly about young love and a number of odd gifts that were given in celebration of this love. However, this Christmas carol has a much deeper meaning that most people aren’t aware of.
The Catholic Church had come under fire in England and a number of carols were written to teach the children important aspects of the faith and Christian doctrine in secret. In fact, this isn’t so different from the Jewish people teaching their children the songs of the Psalms during their exile in Babylonia. So, while on the surface, it seems like a whimsical song, each verse carried an important message about the faith.
The partridge in a pear tree, on the first day of Christmas, represented the birth of Jesus and set the tone for a song about the deep love of God as opposed to the love of a boy for a girl! A mother partridge protected her young against all odds, the pear tree was a symbol of peace and putting everything together we see the gift of Jesus to protect us and the wonderful gift of His birth. The two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments, the doves a symbol of peace, further tying the Christmas story to the love of Christ. The three French hens didn’t appear to have a particular meaning… But, they were a delicacy reserved for royalty and the very rich. In the song, they represent the Wise Men, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. So children thought of the gifts the Magi brought the baby Jesus.
The four calling birds represented the writers of the four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, telling the story of Jesus. The five golden rings signified the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, written by Moses. They were a reminder that Jesus would offer us a way back to God eternally! The verse about the six geese a laying was a little more cryptic. These geese represented the creation of the world in six days and the eggs represented the start of new life and so this verse of the song represented God creating our world out of the void.
Seven swans a swimming represented Paul’s reference to the gifts of the Spirit in Romans 12:6-8. These are prophecy, service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and mercy. The swans, the most graceful and beautiful fowl in all of England remind us that those who walk in the Spirit move as gracefully as the swans on the water. The eight maids a milking reminded children that the lowliest job was working with cattle or in a barn. Yet Jesus treated all people as equal and served even the poorest groups with humility and grace. This verse also reminds us of the beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-10. These tell us: blessed are in the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemaker and the righteous. That leads us to the ninth verse, the ladies dancing. This lets us know that the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control are the real joy and rewards of serving Christ.
The ten lords a leaping signified the Ten Commandments. Lords were expected to be just and fair – they were the final authority on issues of the law and this verse reminds us of the commandments given to the people through Moses. The eleven pipers piping represented the eleven apostles who followed Jesus. We all know there were twelve disciples, but one fell away. The remaining eleven took the Gospel message of Christ’s life and resurrection throughout the known world. And then we come to the final gift, the twelve drummers drumming. Here we are reminded of the twelve elements of the Apostles’ Creed. The Creed states,
“I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.”
Songs such as “The Twelve Days of Christmas” helped teach church doctrine and were aids to remind children of the importance of Jesus and biblical truths. Four hundred years after its creation, this song still resonates with us in a lighthearted way, still hiding the lessons that the church wanted to teach its members. Our verse for tonight reminds us, from the words of Paul, of the importance of studying Scripture. Paul tells us, in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
My encouragement is that God wants us to find Christ in everything we do and submit ourselves to His Kingship. My prayer is that we will always look for ways to worship Jesus and continue to study His ways all the days of our lives. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace. And once again, I hope that you had an incredible Merry Christmas!