UMC Cross & Flame

PO Box 217 • 2433 County Route 8 • Minetto, NY 13115-0217 • (315) 343-3465

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January Message From The Desk Of Pastor Maureen

Dear Family & Friends,

God Bless You! As we enter 2024 together, let us rejoice in Jesus – Joy of our hearts– God’s Wonderful Child! Let us embrace the wonder that God sent us a Savior– Immanuel–God with us, to be with us throughout all our days.

This lively song keeps ringing in my heart —

Jesus, Jesus, O what a wonderful child.
Jesus, Jesus, so holy, meek and mild;
new life, new hope the child will bring.
Listen to the angel sing:
“Glory, glory, glory!”
Let the heavens ring.

Mary’s Baby, Son of God, Heavenly Child, King of Kings, Almighty God. Oh Jesus! Glory! Glory! Glory– to the newborn King!

Friends, have you ever wondered about the meaning of the 12 Days of Christmas song? The following article helps us understand the Christian meaning behind the ‘12 Days of Christmas’:

“The verses of this song taught the church’s most important tenets. The first day of Christmas is December 25th and the final day is January 5th. For hundreds of years the Christmas holidays didn’t begin until Christmas Eve and didn’t end until Epiphany.

Why were these twelve days important? Some denominations celebrated Christmas in January and began to count the twelve days then. But whenever they began, the counting of the days became an important facet of each holiday season. Even in the Dark Ages, in some Eastern European churches, the twelve days of Christmas meant attending daily church services. For Christians who lived during this extremely difficult age, the twelve days were a time of rededication and renewal. It was also a period when small, simple, and usually symbolic gifts of faith were given to children. Thus, in both coded poems and public worship, the twelve days were considered a holy period.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… a partridge in a pear tree.

The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, the only bird that will die to protect its young.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… two turtledoves.

These twin birds represent the Old and New Testaments. So, in this gift, the singer finds the complete story of Judeo-Christian faith and God’s plan for the world. The doves are the biblical roadmap that is available to everyone.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… three French hens.

These birds represent faith, hope, and love. This gift hearkens back to 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter written by the apostle Paul.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… four calling birds.

One of the easiest facets of the song’s code to figure out, these fowl are the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… five gold rings.

The gift of the rings represents the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… six geese a-laying.

These lyrics can be traced back to the first story found in the Bible. Each egg is a day in creation, a time when the world was “hatched” or formed by God.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me… seven swans a-swimming.

It would take someone quite familiar with the Bible to identify this gift. Hidden in the code are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion. As swans are one of the most beautiful and graceful creatures on earth, they would seem to be a perfect symbol for spiritual gifts.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… eight maids a-milking.

As Christ came to save even the lowest of the low, this gift represents the ones who would receive his word and accept his grace. Being a milkmaid was about the worst job one could have in England during this period; this code conveyed that Jesus cared as much about servants as he did those of royal blood. The eight who were blessed included the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… nine ladies dancing.

These nine dancers were really the gifts known as the fruit of the Spirit. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me… ten lords a-leaping.

This is probably the easiest gift to understand. As lords were judges and in charge of the law, this code for the Ten Commandments was fairly straightforward to Catholics.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… eleven pipers piping.

This is almost a trick question, as most think of the disciples in terms of a dozen. But when Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, there were only eleven men who carried out the gospel message.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… twelve drummers drumming.

The drummers are the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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!

Loving and gracious God, Thank You for making all things new! As another new year begins, help us live each day for You. May we continually have a new song in our hearts to sing to You, no matter what comes our way. We trust in You because we know that Your mercies are new every morning, and nothing ahead of us will take You by surprise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

In His great love & grace,

Pastor Maureen

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