On the Fourth Day of
Christmas
My true love sent to me: 4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
My true love sent to me: 4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Four Calling Birds represent the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each book has its own voice defining Jesus. Here’s the beginning of each:
John -The Eternal
Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the
beginning with God. 3 All things were made through
Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In
Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend[a] it.
Matthew - The
Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the
Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham begot Isaac,
Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah
begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram
begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon
begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and
Jesse begot David the king.
Mark - John the
Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets:[a]
“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.”[b]
3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’”[c]
Who will prepare Your way before You.”[b]
3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’”[c]
4 John came baptizing in the
wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then
all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all
baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Luke - Dedication to
Theophilus anf John’s Birth
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in
order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just
as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word
delivered them to us,3 it seemed good to me also, having
had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an
orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that
you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
John’s Birth Announced
to Zacharias
5 There was in the days of Herod, the
king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His
wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And
they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no
child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
Today we remember Simon the Myrrhbearer, Founder of
Simonopetra, Monastery of Mount Athos.
In his honor, I’d like to share one of my favorite hymn, Agne Parthene,
