The Twelve Days of Christmas

Here we are in January and if you read this before January 6th, we will still be in the Twelve Days of Christmas. While you may well know the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” — you may not know that it was fashioned to help mark the days between Christmas and Epiphany. Epiphany is the marking of the magi seeing Christ’s start and coming from the East bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The twelve days of Christmas and the “Feast of Epiphany” are often more highly celebrated in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity than they are in Protestant circles, where the magi are often tacked on to the Christmas story.

However, if you read Matthew 2:1-12 the wise men seeking Jesus (and Herod’s dastardly plan) is a separate event in an unknown timeframe after the event of Jesus’ birth. Check out the two different nativity stories told to us in only two of the four the gospels, Matthew and Luke.

The reason that I bring this up is that most of us probably consider Christmas as a glorious and mammoth single day and we are often exhausted and relieved when Advent and Christmas are over. I don’t know about you, but by late December my Christmas tree is as dry as a bone. My ornaments are falling off of branches that are now concave. Pine needles have found their way into my washing machine and I have finally opened and sent my last Christmas card. I have found time to rest and relax and visit and celebrate, but the story of Christmas is far from over. In fact, it is just getting started.

The Magi are only now getting on their way to seek Jesus. And so should we. As tired or relaxed or overstuffed as you may be feeling, I encourage you to try to mentally and spiritually follow along with Matthew’s story of the magi who now commence their journey to worship Jesus.

This fallow time is indeed the ideal time to be intentional about seeking Jesus ourselves and pay Him the homage He is due. I wonder….how much homage did we really offer Jesus on Christmas as we sped from house to home bearing treats and gifts? Were we really able to acknowledge the grace of God choosing to dwell among us as we ate to our fill or tried to be thankful for gifts we might never enjoy or use?

I have seen (and participated) in extravagant gift giving, tireless efforts to decorate and celebrate, and even our stock market that relies on ‘Black Friday’. The question I ask you to now consider, in these twelve days of Christmas is…are all of these plans, preparations and celebrations equal to or less than how much we actually pay homage to the new born king? I think for most all of us, I already know the answer…

Paying homage with you because of Christ,
Jen