2024 Sun Dec 15

“ . . . . AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE”

During the next few weeks you’ll be hearing it over and over, perhaps to the point of saying, “Enough already”! But you might be interested to know the origin of the

familiar “secular” holiday song; it has roots as a teaching tool to instruct young people in England in the content of the Christian faith!

From 1558 to 1829, Roman Catholics were not able to practice their faith openly in  Protestant England, so they devised ways of passing on their beliefs to their children.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is one example of how they did it. Each of the gifts mentioned represents something of religious significance:

1. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me:  

The “true love ” represents God, and the “ me ” is the believer who receives the gifts.  The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ who died on a “tree” as a gift from God.

2.Two turtle doves are the Old and the New Testaments – another gift from God.  

3.The three French hens are faith, hope, and love –the three gifts of the Spirit that abide. (I Corinthians 13)  

4.The four colley* birds are the four gospels which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ. (Although most modern versions say “ calling ” birds, the proper word is “ colley ”, which is a type of blackbird common in England.)  

5. The five gold rings are the first five books of the Bible, also called the “Books of Moses” or the “Pentateuch”.  

6. The six geese-a-laying are the six days of creation. (On the seventh day, God rested.)  

7.The seven swans – a – swimming are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:8-10)  

8.The eight maids –a – milking are the beatitudes. (There appear to be Nine in Matthew 5: 3 -11, but the first eight are the ones directed at others ; the ninth refers only to Jesus’ listeners on the mountain.)  

 9. The nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5: 22 -23)  

 10. The ten lords – a- leaping are the Ten Commandments.  

 11. The eleven pipers piping are the eleven faithful disciples.  

 12. The twelve drummers drumming are the twelve major points of the Apostles’ Creed.  

So the next time you hear “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, consider how this otherwise Secular sounding song was a tool to instruct the young. Remember, it’s still Christmas for 12 days . . . until theFeast of the Epiphany!

-Father Rod Caulkins, St. James Episcopal Louisa 

Advent is a season of Watching and Waiting. It is a season of leaning into hope

Lord Jesus:
Come into our world and heal its wounds
Come into your church and raise it up
Come into our homes and make them holy
Come into our work and make it fruitful
Come into our minds and give us clarity
Come into our lives and make them beautiful
O Come, O Come Emmanuel

God of the past, the present and the future, grant me patience when I must wait, courage when it’s time to take action, and the wisdom to know when to wait and when to act. Amen.

His Gospel is Peace: The Advent of Christ and the End of Fear

For this Advent Sermon series, Pastor Matt Popovits focuses on five places in Scripture whereGod addresses our fears and proclaims his peace. Despite your worries, anxieties, and veryreal suffering, we have a God who stands resolute to give us his “peace which surpasses allunderstanding” (Phil. 4:7).

The season of Advent helps us long for a different reality: one ruled by peace ratherthan fear. For the Son of God was born into our tribulation, despair, and fear not just tocomfort us but to bring about an end to whatever terrifies us most.This is why the psalmist can assert, “We will not fear, though the earth gives way.”It’s why one of Jesus’ common refrains is “Fear not.”It’s why Paul proclaims that the peace of God guards and rules over the hearts of hispeople.

For this Advent Sermon series, Pastor Matt Popovits focuses on five places in Scripture whereGod addresses our fears and proclaims his peace. Despite your worries, anxieties, and veryreal suffering, we have a God who stands resolute to give us his “peace which surpasses allunderstanding” (Phil. 4:7).

Links to the 5 sections:

PSALM 112:6-8 – NO Fear of the future

MATTHEW 17:6-8 – No Fear of Failure

LUKE 12:32 – No Fear of Lack

ISAIAH 9:6-7 – No Fear of Man

COLOSSIANS 3:15 – No Fear

Living Compass produces a book of daily meditations for Advent- “Living Well through Advent which begins Dec. 1

https://shop.livingcompass.org/collections/advent-and-lent-resources   The printed copy is $1 and the download is free. 

The Living Compass Model for Well-Being offers us guidance in four dimensions of our being: heart, soul, strength, and mind and focus on how they are interconnected. The goal is wellness and wholeness

The theme this year is “Practicing Peace with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind”  “The seasons of Advent and Christmas are filled with the presence of peace, if only we remember to pause and open ourselves to receiving this gift.” “Peace on earth” is at the heart of the Christmas story.

Week 1 Peace like a river – Deepening Our Understanding of Peace

“The peace of God is transformative. It changes us from those who would use oppressive power to a people who nurture and tend. The peace of Christ moves us into new places. This holy peace requires that we change and move, not stay stagnant.”

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the trust that God can trans-form conflict into reconciliation. Peace is not calm because the disparate voices are silenced, but the courage to stand within the waters of righteous anger, hear the wails of suffering, and work for change. Peace is crossing from the bank of oppression to the side of justice, and having the faith to walk in the shifting sands and strong current that would make us turn back, except that God call us to cross to the side of love … every single time.”

Week 2 Making Peace with Ourselves. Audrey Scanlan reminds us that seeking a deeper peace within ourselves requires honest, soul-searching self-reflection. It is a road less traveled. So much so that Audrey, a person who takes practicing peace seriously, concludes her reflection with the unexpected words, “It was, perhaps, the first time that I had ever practiced making peace with myself

Week 3 Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace. For people of faith, making peace with ourselves is not an end in and of itself, but a necessary step toward our being able to be instruments of peace for others.

Week 4 Practicing Peace as a “Holy Yes”. Responding “yes” to the Spirit is contagious—it goes viral! Mary’s “yes” to carry the Christ child precipitated Joseph’s “yes” to protect and care for them. And their “yeses” led to millions more, thus transforming the world. For Mary it meant bearing the Christ Child under less-than-ideal circumstances and witnessing his crucifixion. Joseph took on the shame of Mary’s unwed pregnancy. Thankfully, our yeses are not carried out alone. Emmanuel—God with us—gives us the grace not only to bear the cost, but also to experience the new life that can only come from accepting divine invitation.

Each week in Advent has a specific theme:

Week 1- The End of Time / Remaining Awake
Week 2 – God promises for Peace and Justice / John the Baptism
Week 3 – Rejoice (Gaudete Sunday) / John the Baptist
Week 4 – The Messiah

Advent comes from a Latin word – “advenire” – which means to come to/ During Advent. There are three comings:

• The Coming of God to the world as a human baby
• The Coming of God to the world in His glory at the end of time where God’s purposes will be fulfilled. The second coming
• The Coming of God into the world today. Jesus comes to us now in word and sacrament, in prayer and praise, in his Body, the Church

Advent causes us to remember that we are a people who live “between.” We live between the incarnation and the parousia, the day of the Lord.

Advent is a journey, a pilgrimage of watching and waiting. We are not ready for the Christ Child as we have work to do.

Read more

Many of these courses were part of Christian education in earlier years when classes were scheduled before church.-

No login or password is needed. You can start and stop the courses as desired. 

1 Luke’s canticles – Combines four stories from Luke with insights from artists, prayers, and hymns from around the world. Based on Songs in Waiting by Paul Chandler Luke’s Canticles

2 Matthew’s Infancy Stories.  Comparable to Luke but with a decidedly Jewish character and an emphasis on Joseph.much different than Luke. Matthew’s Infancy Stories

3 Christmas Carols – 15+ carols for the days leading to Christmas. The background and musical selections are included. They surround us at Christmas. How much do you know about them? Christmas Carols

4 Handel’s Messiah, Prophesy and Birth of the Messiah.  The premiere Christmas work with the music and text Handel’s Messsiah. The story of the Christmas part of the Messiah together with the music.

5. Dickens : A Christmas Carol and the Bible. The premiere Christmas novel, here with the influence of the Bible and much of Dickens time. A deep read into the Christmas classic for references to the Bible and Dickens’ religious beliefs Dickens : A Christmas Carol and the Bible

6. Renaissance Art and the Christmas Story The Renaissance was the first period where art came into its own depicting the stories we know and love. The study is divided by subject and includes about 15 art examples. Renaissance Art and the Christmas Story