This article was passed along to me by a member who keeps it tucked away with her Christmas decorations. Pastor Mark Haris wrote it originally for the Mount Zion Herald, and the original is now yellowed with age. Unfortunately, it is not dated, but The Herald predates The Mountaineer, making it over 20 years ago. Since the "12 Days of Christmas" has become a favourite at our Christmas dinners, it seems like a good fit for today's newsletter.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

by Pastor Mark Harris.

The Twelve Days of Christmas is one of the many familiar carols sung at this time of year. Still, many may be unaware that the seemingly nonsensical carol is, in fact, a bold statement of faith that emerged from a time of great turbulence. Let me give you a little background.

The period leading up to Christmas is the Advent season, not the Christmas season. In the church, as in the synagogue, the day technically begins at sunset. Therefore, Christmas begins at sundown on December 24, which we very appropriately call Christmas Eve. The Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve and ends on the eve of Epiphany, which is sundown on January 5. Therefore, Christmas lasts 12 days, and the period from sundown on December 24 to sundown on January 5 is called the 12 days of Christmas. By this reckoning, Epiphany begins on the 12th night after Christmas, so Epiphany was called "Twelfth Night" in England. The 12 days of Christmas are the 12 days between Christmas Day, December 25, the birth of Jesus, and the Epiphany, January 6, the day Christians celebrate the magi's arrival and their revelation of Christ as the light of the world.

 The Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, originated in religious symbolism - and with a serious purpose. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to worship and practice their faith openly. One of them wrote the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as a kind of secret catechism they could sing in public without getting persecuted. The song has two levels of interpretation - the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to the members of the church. Each element is a code word for a religious reality.

        The Partridge in a pear tree is Jesus.

        Two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments.

         Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.

         Four calling birds are the four gospels.

         Five golden gold rings recall the Hebrew Torah (Law), or the Pentateuch, the first five                      books of the Old Testament.

         Six geese-a-laying stand for the six days of creation.

         Seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

         Eight maids-a-milking are the eight beatitudes

         Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

         Ten lords-a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.

         Eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful apostles

         Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the 12 points of the doctrine of the Apostle's Creed.

 If you think Jesus being symbolized as a partridge in a pear tree sounds blasphemous, listen to this: He is represented as a mother partridge in memory of His sadness over the fate of Jerusalem in the verse, "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so". (Luke 13: 34) The "true love" in the song refers to God Himself. The "me" receiving the gifts is every baptized person, i.e., the church.

Now you know. So that silly song we sing at Christmas time has more meaning than we thought. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, the prosecutors never caught on. They never knew it was a religious song used to serve as a memory aid to teach religion. As a matter of fact, the song's message was rather ecumenical - so Catholics could even claim to be Protestant if by some by some chance, they were cornered by the authorities. There really are 12 days of Christmas partridges, or not.

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Passings

It is with sadness that I convey the news that Jeff Harris died on December 6, 2024 at St. Mary's Hospital.   His funeral will be held on Saturday, December 14 at 11 am at Mount Zion. A reception will follow the service. 

https://erbgood.com/tribute/details/17350/Jeff-Harris/obituary.html#tribute-start

"Rest eternal grant her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine on him."

 

Office Notes

Pastor Philip will be on vacation from December 13 to December 19. Pastor Marie Besong will preside on Dec.15.​​​

Nurse Christine's leave has been extended. 

 

​The Church Calendar expressed in banners 

an ongoing series highlighting the seasons of the church and Mount Zion's banner collection...This is the time of year that our banner team of Susan and Richard Brubacher are very busy. We will move from Advent to Christmas and then to Epiphany in the next few weeks.​

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Christmas

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of Mary and Joseph, and the mystery of God becoming human. It is the culmination of the waiting of the season of Advent. The season of Christmas extends from December 25 to January 5, it is twelve days in length. Each day celebrates a feast day for a saint. It is also a time to rejoice in the gift of our Saviour and the daily rebirth of grace in our own lives.

White is the colour of the day and the season, calling to mind the purity of the newborn Christ and to our light and joy in him. Some also use Gold.

Mount Zion's Christmas banner displays an image of Mary and the Child set off by an iridescent blue fabric reminiscent of stained glass. The banner, created by Helen Lange, is framed by gold Gloria panels.  ​

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Epiphany 

Epiphany means "to make known," and we celebrate the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God, the promised Messiah. In this season, we remember the ways and events through which God revealed Himself through Jesus Christ. 

The colour of the banner and paraments for Sunday of Epiphany are white and gold, the colours of celebration, newness and hope. The star guided the Wise Men, who brought gifts to the infant Jesus. Jesus would be the light of the world, revealing Himself to all nations.

For the rest of the season of Epiphany, the colour is green, the colour of life and growth. 

A lit star is featured on Mount Zion's Ephinay banner hanging in front of a hand-woven fabric. Once again, the Gloria panels are used for framing.

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Advent Wednesday Night Continues December 18 

Join us for Holden Evening Prayer, a quiet, meditative, sung Vespers service, seeking light in the darkness. The music is hauntingly beautiful, encouraging contemplation. ​​

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​​​It is Poinsettia Time

Poinsettias will be ordered to enhance our chancel for our Christmas services. If you wish to sponsor a plant, see the signup sheet in the narthex, or you can contact Margaret in the office at 519-886-5820 or email mtzion@mzlc.ca. The 10" pots cost $34.00, and the 6" pots cost $13.00. Please designate your payment as "flowers" on your envelope. You are welcome to pick up your poinsettia immediately after the Christmas Day service. Thank you for your support.   Susan Brubacher

 

​German Service of Readings and Carols – December 20, 4:00 pm

Your Worship and Music Committee has been planning and recruiting volunteer readers and musicians for our long-standing Annual German Service of readings and carols. This year, Pastor Peter Kuhnert will preside. The service begins at 4:00 p.m., followed by fellowship time. Please help us spread the word to the German Community.

 

​This Week in the Kitchen

Thursday morning, volunteers are busy packaging the meals for pickup and delivery. Thank you to all our kitchen volunteers and delivery drivers for helping to make our ministry a success! A big thanks to Northfield Cobs Bread for their weekly bread donation and to Tavia from Distro for delivering the donations to us. The kitchen is now closed until meal delivery on January 18. Mrs Bell is busy putting together our menu for the new year. It will be posted shortly. 

Also, a thank you to Margaret in the office for taking the meal orders and ordering the produce and meat every week. ​

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​​​​​​​​​​The Mitten Tree Donations received until December 15

Once again, the Mitten Tree will grace the narthex, waiting for your donations of handmade or purchased gloves, mitts, socks, slippers, hats and coats for all ages. We will also collect clothing, hygiene items, and gently used items for the Anishinaabeg Outreach Centre. You can hang your mitts on the tree until Sunday, December 15. The items will be delivered to Kitchener's Anishinaabeg Outreach Centre, which will share them with their centres in Guelph and Cambridge. For questions, contact Joan Schweitzer at 519-886-5977

 

​Food Card Ministry

A big thank you to all who are supporting the food cards program as we head into the colder part of the year. Although the monetary value of what we provide to each person or family is small, we are pleased to be part of the work helping to ease food insecurity in our surrounding community. Mary Thompson.

 

​​Gifts from the Heart

Canadian Lutheran World Relief has begun this year's Gifts from the Heart campaign. The catalogue can be found at https://www.clwr.org/gfth

One of the features is Tiny Hearts https://www.clwr.org/products/tiny-hearts 

especially for children. This year, they have a brand new colouring contest, where little ones can colour a scene from Lake Chad and win the chance to choose up to $500 of Gifts from the Heart donate. The colouring page can be found here:  https://www.clwr.org/colourcontest. Watch for more about the Lake Chad Project in the coming weeks!  

https://www.clwr.org/foc-splash

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