The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 6

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:
   Six Geese a Laying
   Five Golden Rings
   Four Calling Birds
   Three French Hens
   Two Turtle Doves
   and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Six Geese a Laying = Six Days of Creation
Confessing God as Creator and Sustainer of this World 


After each day of creation, God deemed the day as "good."  He was pleased with the outcome.  I was interested to discover that throughout the account of creation, there were only three major categories that were created:
1) the heavens and the earth - we could think of this as matter
2) every living creature - all the birds of the air, fish in the sea, and animals who exist on the ground
3) mankind, whom he created in His own image

I also discovered only one time in the creation account that the Lord said something was "not good" - “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  GENESIS 2:18

God is relational.  God is love. 1 JOHN 4:8  We were made for relationship.  Love expressed is intended to be returned.  It cannot be mandated or demanded, it can only be received and expressed reciprocally.  All of creation was a gift of love to humankind.  We return God's love by loving Him, caring for His creation, and loving the people he fashioned in His image.

In Martin Luther's Catechism, his teaching on each of the petition of the Lord's Prayer that says: “Give us this day our daily bread,” he asks 

"What does this mean?"
Answer: To be sure, God provides daily bread, even to the wicked, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that God may make us aware of his gifts and enable us to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?
Answer: Everything required to satisfy our bodily needs, such as food and clothing, house and home, fields and flocks, money and property; a pious spouse and good children, trustworthy servants, godly and faithful rulers, good government; seasonable weather, peace and health, order and honor; true friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

Thank you, Lord, for all the good gifts you give!