The Christian Church traditionally celebrates 12 days of Christmas from Dec. 25 through Jan. 5, which makes today the fifth day of Christmas. These dozen days inspire the holiday carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
According to its lyrics, the fifth day brings “my true love’s” gift of “five golden rings.” That typically conjures images of jewelry but more likely references ring-necked pheasants — sources of human sustenance both beautiful and delicious! This feathered understanding dovetails well with other images of birds in the carol’s earlier stanzas.
The message for the fifth day of Christmas thus becomes quite sacred: In taking on human flesh in Jesus Christ, God, our “true love,” provides much-needed nourishment for body, mind, soul, and spirit. Ancient words feed a hungry world with God’s promises of righteousness, comfort, light, joy, and abundance. And thus we pray —
God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, eight days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple. They brought him into the heart of community. They brought him into your sanctuary. I imagine they were exhausted and bleary-eyed, those new parents. But I also imagine they were excited and overwhelmed with gratitude.
So today, just as Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple, we bring our prayers into this sanctuary. We bring exhausted prayers, bleary-eyed laments, prayers of deep joy, and prayers overflowing with gratitude — and we give them all to you.
Thank you, God, for the joys of this season. Thank you for the candle lighting and the carol singing. Thank you for the bells ringing and the community gathering. Thank you for turning ordinary moments into holy reminders of your gospel promise.
We are surrounded by so many gifts, and we do not want to miss the opportunity to express gratitude. But, despite the abundant gifts of this season, we also acknowledge the heartache of this season, and we bring those prayers to you as well.
So Holy God, for individuals who long to be parents like Mary and Joseph but find themselves facing infertility or loss — be with them. For those who feel like they are going through the motions of faith but still feel far from you — be with them. For those who see the joy of this season, but cannot ignore the weariness in their hearts — be with them.
God, we could go on and on with our prayers of both gratitude and lament. The world is joyful and weary, and on either side of that coin, we long to tether ourselves to you. So meet us once again in the ordinary rituals of our faith —rituals like praying, singing, dancing, studying scripture, and gathering with community. Meet us at the Table and the Font. Meet us in the pews and on Wednesday Nights. Meet us when we pray before meals and when we pray before bed.
Holy God, we don’t care where you find us, we just ask that you would—over and over and over again. And as you do, we promise that like Mary and Joseph we will do our best to bring our weary and hopeful spirits back to your temple, back to you.
Listen for the Word that God has spoken —
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:1-10)
Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this devotion during worship on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon, Iowa, USA.