A far off Christmas from a little different angle this Sunday. Are we looking back at the feast of Christmas? It’s the new year after all. Christmas is in the rear view mirror. For that matter, New Years is in the rear view mirror too! This week we remember that Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a season! Christmas runs from December 25th through January 5th. January 6th is Epiphany. We’ll talk about that next week, of course.
This week we focus on the Twelve Days of Christmas. I don’t sing you the song, but there are a number of well done examples if you want to share the song with your family. HERE is one example.
The song dates back to the 16th century. Legend has it that the song was used as an ancient catechism. Whether it was or not, we can use it as a fun memory hook over the season to teach some truths about our incredible God. The Bible study walks you through all twelve days and a possible meaning associated with each day.
I would like to focus on the second day – Two Turtle Doves. There are any number of suggestions for the meaning of each day, but the source that I ran across pointed to the Old and New Testaments as the meaning of Two Turtle Doves. There are a few passages that talk about the Scriptures. I want to point you to Hebrews 1:1-2 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. Jesus references the Old Testament a few times in the Scriptures.. Normally he refers to the Law and Prophets. He’s not just using shorthand to talk about the Old Testament. The Jews still refer to the Old Testament as the law, prophets, and writings (psalms, song of songs, etc.). In Hebrews the author is talking about the Old Testament and the message of Jesus. This would be the New Testament.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s lesson from our Advent series, A Far Off Christmas.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.