Well, the holiday season is upon us. Although there is no scriptural precedent for keeping the season as of religious significance, it is something that none can avoid. It is upon us in every store and on every street corner. Decorations adorn the civic buildings and individual homes show the adornments of the season in brightly lit displays that range from the religious to the ridiculous (there's even a gingerbread house, or maybe two).
So, without turning the season into an unholy thing by giving it significance that God never appointed for it, you might find the following to be of interest. It is copied exactly as sent by Dan Smith, a friend and email correspondent in Sparks, NV. At the end, I'll have a final comment:
"There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
"Well just read on: From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for the young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning, the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
"1. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
"2. Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
"3. Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
"4. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
"5. The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books.
"6. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creating.
"7. Seven swans a swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit- Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.
"8. The eight maids a milking were the eight beatitudes.
"9. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
"10. The ten lords a leaping were the ten commandments.
"11. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples..
"12. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles Creed.
"So there is your history for today. I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol."
I care nothing for the useless disputation over whether Roman Catholics, or another other religious people, are allowed to openly practice their faith, except as it relates to whether Christians are free to worship according to the dictates of their consciences. History has not been kind to Christians and the greatest opposition has always come from those who deemed it their duty before God to circumscribe the worship of Jesus Christ.
But, we live in a nation where, for the most part, we are unencumbered with persecution. Did we live in some other nation, particularly in the Arab world, we might think differently about those matters of rote learning that form a framework for our faith. Perhaps we should just be glad that we don't have to formulate a song that tells our story in symbolic language.
Again, the holiday season is upon us. Don't let it become for you or your family what God would not have it to be. If you choose to keep a day, keep it for yourself and don't condemn those who do not hold it in honor. If you choose to not keep the day, then do that for yourself and don't judge those who do keep it.
Remember, impressionable young minds can be led into serious misunderstanding and error without proper parental instruction and guidance by example. Let your children have their childlike fantasies, but don't create bug-a-boos that threaten to jump from dark closets. And, remember, more than one small child has been scared out of her wits just thinking that some fat, bearded man might slip down the chimney in the dark of night and have the run of the house for awhile.
Finally, this is a good time of year for reinforcing family ties. While the holiday festivities are taking place, let the kids see Momma kissing Santa Claus.