I Wonder if You Knew

Over the last twelve weeks I have been taking the Koinonia ladies in Brookings and around the states through the book of 2 Corinthians. Together, we have been learning more about Paul's life and about the precious talents that God would have us seek after that would make us become the most effective Ambassadors for Him. I saw at least twelve precious points in this second letter that I hope we will take with us and remember... how our lives, each day are a ministry unto the Lord, when we respond in the following ways for Jesus Christ: women full of faith, women well-taught, women well-disciplined spiritually, women full of boldness, women of long-suffering (yes, even that), women more mature, women more open, women more loving, women more compassionate, women full of hope, women of sound minds, and women more giving.

All of these are basic teachings of faith and growth. All of these were enveloped in Paul's letter to us in 2 Corinthians. If we, like Paul are able to share a portion of our growth with others, it will have been worth it.

Now, with the Christmas season and New Years 2007 upon us, as we think of all they both represent, I also am reminded of twelve other symbols often sung about around this time of year, that, to many, has always been considered just a silly little song. I think as you learn the true meaning of the song, however, you will never again look at it in the same way. It too teaches about the basics of our faith, and gives us something to share with others well-worth remembering. It's the carol, THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. I'm sure many of you have heard it and sung it many times. Maybe you don't know the real meaning of this meaningful song. Let me share with you what I have learned.

First of all, THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS dates clear back to the 16th century, I'm told, to the religious war times of England. No, I wasn't there. But there were many children that were, and the song was used back then as a device to teach the young folks several aspects of the Christian faith (secretly).

When they, and now we sing the words, "my true love" in each stanza, we are referring to God Himself. Remember that. And when we come to the words, "gave to me" remember that they were, and we are speaking about ourselves as Christian recipients receiving our gifts. Okay?

Another point to remember, as we go through each verse is information about the days themselves. The twelve days are often misunderstood amongst Christians The are not the twelve days prior to Christmas, but rather from Christmas Day (December 25th) to January 5th which takes us to what some cultures call Epiphany. Traditionally speaking, this Epiphany is celebrated when the wise men arrived to present their gifts to Jesus as a child. You remember reading about that in the Book of Matthew 2:1-12? Then on the 6th of January, often called Three Kings Day in some places, that's when people share their gifts. It gets kind of mixed up all over the world, as you can well see, but I really don't think God minds a bit when people open presents...in case you wondered.)

Now, let's go back to the carol, and see what the symbols represent. It is really quite interesting.

It says, that on the First Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...A partridge in a pear tree. The partridge in the tree represents Jesus on the cross, as we celebrate his birthday on December 25th. You see, in the song, Christ is symbolically being represented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to drive her predators away from her nestlings who are helpless. That was when the Lord Jesus expressed his sadness over the fate of Jerusalem in the book of Luke 13:34? where he said, "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so...."

On the Second Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...two turtle doves. In the song these two turtle doves represent The Old and New Testaments, to bear witness together of God's wonderful revelation in history to the creation and to his people and to the the world of Himself. Now that's a testimony!

On the Third Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...three French hens. (Hmmm. I wonder what they might be?) They are, of course, the three virtues of FAITH, HOPE and LOVE that we read about in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians! That should be easy to remember now!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...four calling birds. They would have to be the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I'll bet you figured that one out!

On the Fifth Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...five gold rings. (Did you get this one?) That's right. The first five books of Moses (or the Old Testament), Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, where we learn the history of humanity's sinful failure, and of God's loving response of grace in His creation of the world.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...six geese a-laying. (You know how I love animals!) Yes, these represent the six days of creation that show God as our creator and Him as the sustainer of the world. We read about it in the 1st chapter of the Bible!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas My TRUE LOVE gave to me...seven swans a-swimming. I can tell you...These are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that we read about in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. 1. Prophecy. 2. Ministry. 3. Teaching. 4. Exhortation. 5. Giving. 6. Leading. and 7. Compassion.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...eight maids a-milking. These are the eight "B" attitudes! The beatitudes, of course. The blesseds! 1. The poor in Spirit. 2. Those who mourn. 3. The meek. 4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 5. The merciful. 6. The pure in heart. 7. The peacemakers. 8. Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. We read about them in Matthew, Chapter 6.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...nine ladies dancing. Ah! These are the nine fruit of the Holy Spirit. All encompassed in the first, Love! then 2. Joy, then 3. Peace, then 4. Patience, then 5. Kindness, then 6.Generosity, then 7. Faithfulness, then 8. Gentleness, and then finally 9. Self-control from Galatians 5.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...ten lords a-leaping. And that would have to be the ten commandments of 1.Thou shalt have no other gods 2. Thou shalt not making any idols 3. Thou shalt not take God's name in vain 4. Thou shalt remember the Sabbath day 5. Thou shalt honor your father and mother 6. Thou shalt not murder 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery 8. Thou shalt not steal 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness and 10. Thou shalt not covet, all of which we read in the 20th chapter of Exodus.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me...eleven pipers piping. We learn here about the eleven faithful apostles. Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James Bar Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Bar James from Matthew 6:14-16. We don't mention Mr. Iscariot, the 12th disciple, because he betrayed the Lord.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas MY TRUE LOVE gave to me twelve drummers drumming. These are the twelve points of doctrine that are represented in the apostle's creed. 1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. 2. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord. 3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified died and was buried; descended into hell (the grave). 5. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7. I believe in the Holy Spirit. 8. The holy catholic church. 9. The communionion of the saints. 10. The forgiveness of sins. 11. The resurrection of the body. 12. and life everlasting.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.... Pretty awesome, huh! Did you learn as much as me?

You know, it really doesn't matter to God how He gets his message out to the world. He will find a way, whether it is through a song, through an epistle, through a Christmas ornament, or through a person...like you or me; perhaps through a news article--like this one. It 's the testimony of our lives each day that share the message of his love, the message of his life. It is how we live and act and speak as we represent him.

How are you living today? Is the message of God, and his love showing through you? Is your faith alive in a way where others can see it? Would you say your life a living testimony? If it's not it should be. Let's remember to share the things we have learned with others and to stay steadfast in our ministries of being true ambassadors for God, not just through these twelve days of the Christmas season, but on into the new year as well, shall we? Remember, if we, like Paul, are able to share even a portion of our faith on to someone else it will have been worth it every step of the way.

"RECIPE SHARING"

From the Kitchens of...
Lisa and Mildred

Do you have a RECIPE that you would enjoy sharing? Send it to us here in the Hearts for Christ Ministries Comments Section or e-mail direct: info@heartsforchrist.org. We will be thrilled to pass it along to our readers.

Sharing Hearts One with Another... The following letters are excerpts from the correspondence Hearts for Christ Ministries has been receiving. We hope you will write in as well. Dear Hearts For Christ: Hi. I was wandering around the web specifically researching Proverbs 25:11. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pitchers of silver." This led me to your delightful website. Just thought I'd let you know that you have the wrong reference sited on your homepage.. Proverbs 16:24 is "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Another great word of encouragement but not the one you have printed. Darlene C Dear Darlene, I had to giggle when I read your sweet post. Thank you so much for dropping by Hearts for Christ and sharing your delightful words with us and notes of enlightenment. Would you believe in all the years we have been running this ministry that oversight has been completely overlooked...Thanks again for the correction and thank you again for stopping by. We hope you will come again. In the Lord's gracious Service, Shirley and the HfC Ministry Team Dear Hearts for Christ, I want to share my gratitude for HFC with you all. What an amazing ministry this is! My family and I moved to the Oregon coast from Kansas a little more than a year ago. And what a year it has been! We were so comfortable, there, in Kansas; all settled in; no thoughts of leaving. But then we heard God's calling for us to go West, and so we listene, and here we are today...from the middle of the U.S. to the very edge! I have made so many wonderful Christian friends here! Our family has been welcomed with open arms! What a feeling it is to be shown such an outpouring of love! I was blessed to be able to attend the last annual HFC Koinonia Women's Retreat in California, and what a time I had! Shirley's love for the Lord touches my heart and inspires me beyond belief! I am so thankful for knowing her! (Love ya Shirley!) So, to anyone reading this who hasn't yet been able to attend a HFC Koinonia women's retreat do make an effort to make it to at least one. The joy you experience there the joy you experience there is that which you carry within your heart for months to come. Lisa Dear Lisa, Our ministry team would like to thank you for such a heartfelt word of encouragement to us! We are so grateful for the many opportunities the Lord brings our way, especially when we are able to share in those times of fellowship one with another! We rejoice with you in your testimony of your family's obedience to the Lord and in the sharing of your experience at the HFC ministry/retreat this past May. And yes, we indeed serve an Amazing God! All praise glory and honor to His Name.The Lord does honor those times when we step out in faith, even a step out of our "comfort zone" and heed his calling to us. Blessings to you dear sis, as you continue to serve Him with abounding joy! In Christ, Hearts for Christ Ministry Team

Are You Ready to Share with Us? What is the Lord doing in your life today? Do you have a question, an experience, or a victory in trial you would enjoy sharing in a future newsletter? Send your comments and inquiries to "Dear Hearts for Christ." Article Submissions and Testimonies should be sent to Shirley@heartsforchrist.org. No names will be included without permission, and the editor reserves the right to edit submissions.