The Twelve Days of Christmas and Epiphany

My Sis gave me a Christian Seasons Calendar--something I didn’t even know existed.  It started on November 28th, the beginning of Advent, and that first page ended on Christmas Eve.  The second page covered Christmas…not just December 25, 2010 but all twelve days.  Twelve days?  Partridge in a pear tree?  French hens?  Leaping lords?

In a book by Curtis G. Almquist entitled Unwrapping the Gifts: The Twelve Days of Christmas, I discovered some wonderful gifts that I’d like to unwrap day by day from December 25th to January 5th.  The gifts he listed include love, revelation, forgiveness, joy, hope, redemption, a name, humility, companionship, gratitude, peace, and blessing.

I like this idea of recognizing the twelve days of Christmas.  I’d like to balance the great anticipation that I feel throughout Advent with a period of time to celebrate the joy, hope, and peace Jesus’ birth brings.  No more December 26th blues, wondering if all the preparation was worth it for one day of feasting, chaos, and family drama.

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Today is Epiphany, starting another new page in my calendar, marking the arrival of the Magi at the stable.  I have to admit though that the three kings, bearing their gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, have been present in my nativity scene on the entry table since I set it up.   However, it‘s helpful to have this special day to remember what their presence symbolizes.  Originally it revealed that Jesus was the Christ of not only the Jews but also of everyone else.  The commentary on my calendar says that medieval artists depicted the Magi as representatives of the known continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.  “Epiphany has evolved into a commemoration of the shining forth of the light of God to the entire world through Jesus Christ.”  (Reverence and Revelry by B. Kathleen Fannin.  The Rev.Dr. Fannin wrote this daily devotional for college students, but I have found it to be just as relevant and powerful for me.  Copies are available at https://www.createspace.com/3393572.)  And, now, we can think of the gifts the Magi presented as all nations bringing the gifts of their unique cultures.

Light and Love.  It’s a lot to think about.  What an extraordinary gift.

(You can order a calendar like mine--Salt of the Earth: A Christian Seasons Calendar 2010/2011--at www.thechristiancalendar.com)