The Story Behind The Twelve Days of Christmas

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?  This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.-

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'  Merry Christmas Everyone

5 Essentials to Intimacy With God: Week 3 - A Trusting Heart

A Trusting Heart is built on a lifelong relationship.  The Bible says that "Love always trusts…" (1 Cor. 13:6-7) so we see that an intimate and loving relationship will also be characterized by a deep and unwavering trust in the other person.  

The dictionary defines trust as - a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something  b : one in which confidence is placed; connotation of dependence.  The dependency of a child upon his parents for everything comes to mind.  The child does not live in fear but with a confident expectation that his parents will take care of him no matter what.  In fact, the child never wonders or worries about the future because they are completely confident that their parents will take care of them and always be there for them.  Perhaps the greatest example of loving trust is that of a devoted and loving marriage which is essentially an intimate relationship built on unconditional love, commitment, and trust. These trust relationships are built and established over time.  Genuinely trusting someone almost always entirely leads to greater love, respect, commitment, devotion, and appreciation.  If a father encourages his child to jump off the side of the pool into the deep end ensuring the child he will catch him but the child does not jump - then the issue of mistrust lies with the child - not the Father.   The child's lack of trust and resulting fears overcome any possible level of trust he may have in his father's ability.  The issue of trust always lies with us -- not with our heavenly Father.  He never changes.  His faithfulness continues to every generation...His mercies are new every morning.  His character which is based on love and holiness is immutable and unchanging.  His love, faithfulness, and trustworthiness are the same today and forever.  


The bible says "What can separate us from the love of God in Christ?"  It's a rhetorical question.  The clear and indistinguishable answer Paul gives us is that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus!  Period! This means that not only is God's character immutable and unchanging, but so are the promises in God's Word!  Therefore, God and his promises to you can always be trusted.  However, if we resist trusting in God - IF WE RESIST JUMPING OFF THE SIDE OF THE POOL INTO HIS ARMS AND LOVING EMBRACE (INTIMACY) - it is always an evidence of a lack of love on our part - rather than just simply fear of God not doing his part.  God does not give us a spirit of fear but of power, LOVE, and a sound mind!   


The issue is what do you believe about God - because what you believe determines everything about you!  Do you believe God is trustworthy or untrustworthy? -- faithful or indifferent toward your need and in keeping his promises? -- a brutal dictator or a loving Heavenly Father?  Your belief about your Heavenly Father and his character determines everything about your response to Him. 

     I submit to you that as you get to know Him more intimately you will not only come to understand His true loving character and his desire to bless you; you will not only love Him more intimately; but you will also come to trust Him more deeply on a heart level in every area of your life.  A loving, Christ-centered, and devoted heart will always result in a trusting heart.  Let me challenge you today to love and trust God with your whole heart, be 100% committed or devoted to Him in every area of your life, and be willing to JUMP into his arms when he says jump!  Be willing to obey Him any time he puts his finger on an un-surrendered area in your life -- be willing to do whatever He says.  You can trust Him even if it causes you pain and discomfort -- He wants to bless you -- He wants what is best for you!  So, trust Him and do exactly what He says and you will be blessed.  As you do this, you will not only demonstrate that you love Him and trust Him more deeply - but that you are also more fully submitted to His Lordship in all areas of your life.  He wants an intimate relationship with you, but He also knows that will not happen apart from your complete trust in Him and His Word.  Your intimacy with the Father will not go any deeper than your level of trust in Him.  You must grasp this powerful truth if you desire an intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father.  Will you trust Him completely in every area of your life?  He is calling you to embrace this secret of trust and allow this truth to liberate you from doubt and fear so you can intimately and closely walk with Him as privileged and beloved sons and daughters that you are.   The more you come to trust God for everything - and in everything regarding your life - the more passionate you will be about Him!

     Proverbs 3:5 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

In HIS love,

Pastor Chad

Chadwick A. Stafford

Pastor of Worship Arts

South Metro Ministries

pastorchad@smmcog.com 

cstafford71@hotmail.com 

http://www.smm-wa.blogspot

770-251-3777 x6 (w) 

919-906-5702 (m) 

New 5-Week Blog Series: 5 Essentials to Intimacy with God

·      A Christ-centered Heart ... based on the priority of Christ in our lives.

·      A Committed Heart ... based on our love and devotion to Christ

·      A Trusting Heart ... built on a lifelong relationship

·      A Communicating Heart ... built on fellowship, worship, and prayer

·      A Loving Heart ... based on a passionate and deeply abiding love for Christ and what he has done to rescue and ransom our lives from death and destruction.

Pastor Chad

Chadwick A. Stafford

Pastor of Worship Arts

South Metro Ministries

pastorchad@smmcog.com 

cstafford71@hotmail.com 

http://www.smm-wa.blogspot

770-251-3777 x6 (w) 

919-906-5702 (m) 

5 Essentials To Developing and Maintaining A Passion for God

WEEK 2 - A COMMITTED HEART

2)    A Committed (Devoted) Heart – based on our love and commitment to Christ

 

Society no longer values commitment, but we are called to be "peculiar" people…set apart from the world and to God.  That means we are God's holy people and we owe Him our full devotion.  Why should we be committed to God?  The relationship breaks down if there is no true commitment involved. Try having a successful marriage or friendship without a commitment to that relationship.  It doesn't work!  Communication breaks down.  Intimacy breaks down.  Trust breaks down, and in this case, worship breaks down. 

Worship is about doing life together with God!  Music and singing is only the icing on the cake...it is only a small part of the relationship.  If the only way you can have a relationship with God is on a platform with a microphone in your face and hundreds of people watching you - you don't have much of a relationship with God.  Sunday morning is only the overflow of what is already taking place in one's life of worship Monday - Saturday.  Worship is life!  Why?  Because worship is about God and He is our life!  Worship is about living in relationship with God Himself  It is about relationship, love, and intimacy with the Father.  Marriage is a metaphor for the church's relationship with the Father.  He is in us and we are in Him.  We become one flesh as it were as we live in a committed, consecrated, and devoted relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

We should daily commit our hearts to him as a true lover does because we love Him and because he loves us with an everlasting love and desires to withhold no good thing from us. 

Hosea 2:16  "In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'...    As a bride we chose to forsake all others and devote ourselves to the bridegroom, Jesus Christ.  Let us continue to be devoted each day.   As we forsake all other gods - the more devoted we become to the true living God.  The more devoted we are to God the more passionate we are for His presence in our lives.  The more passionate we become for His presence in our lives the more meaningful our worship becomes.  The Bible says that God is searching to fully support those whose hearts are wholly committed (or devoted) to Him!  Search your heart to ensure that you are wholly committed to God.  As you do, rest assured that you have HIS promise to fully support you.  Be 100% committed to God in every area that He puts his finger upon.  If he tells you to put it down, to stop, to turn around, to make a different decision, to check that attitude, to guard your heart, to bounce your eyes, to surrender your tongue...whatever it is...do it 100% with a fully made-up mind that you are going to fully commit and fully obey God in every area of your life.  As you do, God will bless you and fully support you!  Count on it!!

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

Blog Comments - ENABLED!

As of this week I am enabling the "comments" feature so bloggers can comment on articles, announcements, and other posts.

Please keep comments positive, constructive, and edifying.  All comments will be screened before being publicly posted.  Negative or critical comments will not be posted to this blog.  Thank you for your cooperation.

I look forward to hearing from you!

PASTOR CHAD

New 5-Week Blog Series: 5 Essentials to Intimacy with God

·      A Christ-centered Heart ... based on the priority of Christ in our lives.

·      A Committed Heart ... based on our love and devotion to Christ

·      A Trusting Heart ... built on a lifelong relationship

·      A Communicating Heart ... built on fellowship, worship, and prayer

·      A Loving Heart ... based on a passionate and deeply abiding love for Christ and what he has done to rescue and ransom our lives from death and destruction.

5 Essentials to Developing a Passion for God

Week 1 - A Christ-centered Heart

1)    A Christ-centered Heart - It is based upon the priority of Christ in our lives.  Is Jesus the priority, passion, and pursuit of your life?

·      The Apostle Paul said "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me...but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (Phil.3)

·       Phil. 3:8  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.  9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…

·       Paul was captivated and compelled by a passion for and vision of Christ.  From the moment Saul's name was changed to Paul he led a Christ-centered life and preached a Christ-centered message. 

·        Since you first came to Christ have you consistently led a Christ-centered life and does your life preach and testify to the reality of Christ in your life?  As the sun is the focal point of our solar system – Our lives should revolve around Christ the Son!

·      To be Christ centered is to center our lives on Jesus and His Word.  This means we must prioritize His Word...in essence, we must be Word centered and demonstrate it by prioritizing time in the Word so that we will grow in our passion for Christ and be transformed by the renewing of our minds and thus conforming to the image of Christ.

·       John 6:68  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life."

   The Apostle Paul admonishes us, “Let the Words of Christ dwell in (us) richly…”(Col. 3:16)

·      The more Christ-centered you become in your walk…the more you value Him and live by His Word…the more passionate you will be about Him.

SMM Choir - Support Team

• Assistant Choir Director,  Valerie Mathura
• Rehearsal Accompanist, Trunicia Rainwater
• Attendance Secretary, Ellon Love
• Robe Caretaker, Edith Garvich
• Food & Hospitality Coordinator, Floyce Kilby
• Visual Presentation Coordinator, Rachel Addis
• Benevolence Coordinator, Sharon Wikstrom
• Events Coordinator, Cheryl Moore
• Historian (Photographer), Kayla Green
• Section Leaders:  Trunicia Rainwater (soprano) - Pastor Chad (tenor) - Diane McHughes (alto) - Don Harris (bass)
• Financial Secretary, Cynthia Harris
• Prayer Coordinator(s), Eugene Behrens; Valerie Mathura (assistant)

You Are Never Alone

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…I will not leave you.  Genesis 28:15

Uncertainties can be frightening, but these reassuring words show that God will be with you wherever you go or in whatever situation you find yourself. You are never alone. He will always see you through.

In HIM,

Pastor Chad

Worship Insights: The Names of God Series - El Shaddai

God was known especially to the Patriarchs in the Old Testament by his name "God Almighty", or in the Hebrew, El-Shaddai.  The name first appears in Genesis 17:1,2 where it is recorded, "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be thou perfect.  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."  This was the confirmation of a promise that God gave Abram in Genesis 12 where he promised to make him a great nation and multiply his seed as the dust of the earth and as the stars of the heavens.  Only an Almighty God could perform and accomplish this Herculian task.  Abraham was ninety nine years old and what God was promising was impossible in the natural, but nothing is too hard for Jehovah!  All things are possible with God!  Incidently, Abram's name was changed to Abraham with the revelation of God as El Shaddai, the Almighty God.

We must look at the two parts of this name to understand the meaning.  The word El itself is translated "God" over 200 times in the Bible.   Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and Nehemiah referred to him as El.  Shaddai means "almighty" referring to the abundant might and power of God. It clearly implies that nothing can be beyond God's power.  Some scholars argue that the root meaning means strong, powerful, or to do violence, especially in the sense of one who is powerful enough to overturn the laws of nature.  This is indeed what happened with Abraham and Sarah.  The deadness of their bodies was overcome by the awesome power and might of God.  Nothing is impossible with God!  As we saw in the first name study, Elohim is the God who creates and sustains nature, but El-Shaddai is the God who commands and compels nature to do what is contrary to itself.

When God reveals himself to you as El-Shaddai, he reveals Himself by special deeds of power.  Has God ever revealed himself to you as El-Shaddai through special deeds of power.  He has for me on several occasions, but none more dramatically than when He, the El-Shaddai, reversed my son Benjamin's  irreversible diagnosis of autism and miraculously healed him defying the doctors, experts, and the state health department who all said it was impossible.  Glory to His almighty and all-powerful name!  Yes, with God all things are possible -- and this means El-Shaddai gets the final word!  Perhaps you need God to reveal Himself through some act or special deed of power...through a divine miracle of healing, provision, restoration, deliverance, or protection.  Whatever the case may be, in these instances El-Shaddai specializes in taking the impossible and the improbable making it possible by his mighty power.

You see, nothing in our lives is too hard for this Almighty God we serve!  All we need to do is call upon the name of El-Shaddai and invoke his all-powerful name in prayer and praise through faith and watch God work.  Maybe its a soured relationship, a backslidden son or daughter, a terminal illness, or a lengthy period of unemployment.  God can turn that seemingly impossible situation into a supernatural deliverance for you.  So don't give up...don't give in...and don't turn around!  Open your eyes and see Him high and lifted up shining in the light of his glorious power and might.  Worship at his feet and keep trusting, keep believing, and keep walking, keep serving, and keep praying in faith with your eyes upon Jesus the author and finisher of your faith.  El-Shaddai is able to do exceeding and abundantly above and beyond anything you can ask or imagine.  Ask God to reveal himself as El-Shaddai in the seeming impossible situations of your life and give him praise today for his excellent greatness and His mighty power!