The Seventh Day of Christmas is the day the church celebrates the circumcision and naming of Jesus, as Jewish law commanded. “After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” Luke 1:21What a special way to begin the New Year, with the naming of the Child who is the Savior of the world. The prayer of the day is, I think, a good way to start off the year as well.
Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
If we do indeed accept into our heart the seed of the love of the Savior, wouldn’t the world be a better place? The seed would grow into the fruits of the Spirit, which is what the Seven Swans a-Swimming represent. The Sevenfold Gifts of the Holy Spirit are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. We don’t have these gifts all at once, they grow in our hearts as we mature and live into our calling as Children of God.
Swans are majestic birds when mature, but they are rather homely as babies (cygnets). This truth is captured in the fable that we all remember from childhood: The Ugly Duckling. You remember how the little swan hatched in a duck’s nest and at first all was fine, but then it was obvious that he was different. The other birds rejected him and it was only after many trials and adventures that he learns that he is really that most royal of birds—a swan.
Now isn’t that just like us? We are strangers in a foreign land until as Paul says in Ephesians 2:13f: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”
What can you do this year to help others find their home among the swans of the world?
How can you nurture the Gifts of the Spirit in your heart and in the hearts of those around you?
Happy New Year to you and yours.
