On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two turtle doves.

In today’s culture it’s fairly easy to thin that today Christmas is over. The trees in our living rooms are starting to lose too many needles and causing a mess. The lights, while a beautiful addition to our homes are running the electric bill a little higher than we’d like. The extra decorations are starting to feel a bit like clutter already. And this doesn’t include the extra trash in our homes due to all of the gifts we’ve just unwrapped. 

But wait a second, because Christmas isn’t over. Actually it’s just beginning. Christmas is a season, not just a day. Sure it starts on the 25th of December but it keeps going. Now don’t misunderstand, there doesn’t need to be a celebration of gifts each day of Christmas, but wouldn’t that be interesting! No, each of these remaining days of Christmas are like a gift all of their own.

Today is the second day of Christmas which means 2 gifts! According to the song, it’s 2 turtle doves. The turtle-dove is a migratory bird in England. It’s known for the special purring sound it makes throughout the spring and summer months. But the gift for day 2 isn’t a real bird but a book. You see each of these gifts reminds us of a greater gift.

On this second day of Christmas, we celebrate the gift of the 2 books that purr loudly a message of comfort and hope. The two turtle-doves are actually the Old and New Testament of the Bible. God’s gift to us to draw us closer to him and to provide some comfort on the long hard days of winter is to remind us that God is calling. The Son is coming. The darkness soon will come to an end and the light will again shine bright and warm.

This Christmas take a moment and remember the wonderful gift of the promises of God for you. As we end a year and prepare to begin another, we often make goals and promises. Perhaps a goal for 2018 will be to journey through the Two Turtle-doves with a friend or loved one. Who will you take on this journey?

Merry Christmas – part 2!