Welcome to Day 3 of this year’s 12 Days of Christmas, at the intersection of the song, the memory-and-forfeit children’s game it’s based on, the Christmas story that it’s based on, and some lively present day applications.

Today, for Sunday Lord’s Day, we come to the “Ten Lords-a-Leapin’.” I don’ know who the lords were or what they were leapin’ for, but the 10 was representative of the Ten Commandments. No, not the Charlton Heston ten, or even the Mel Brooks 15, but the Raiders of the Lost Ark ten, the first ten, the real ten.

What’s great for us today is that Jesus came and simplified it down to two. You see, once when He was challenged by a group of attorneys and publicans in front of a large audience, seeking to make him look bad, they asked an impossible question: “Which is the greatest commandment?” They figured if He named one, they could accuse him of making it up, as the originals didn’t name one as more than the other. If He couldn’t name one, they would have ridiculed Him publicly for not being all-knowing.

Instead, Jesus said, “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. On these are based the entire Law and the Prophets.” In other words, Jesus said the whole Bible — and God’s whole truth — could be summed up in being wholly devoted to God, and wholly devoted to others. The rest is all based on those two.

And, less someone accused Jesus of changing God’s Old Testament word, a simple consideration reveals that the first four of the Ten Commandments are about loving God, and the last six are about how to treat each other. Jesus didn’t change them; he merely brought it into focus. For us, today, faith in God and love for others is the foundation of faith that works, that overcomes every obstacle, that creates every good possibility, and that sustains us in the in-between times.

If we could live with those two focuses, we could be oh, so much more unified, winsome, loving, together, smart, disciplined, and generous, all as a way of life. Have a great Sunday, and Happy and Blessed 12 Days of Christmas, -Doug

12th Day…
…Good morning aviators, 12 points of the Creed.
11th Day…
…Baker’s miracle, 11 faithful disciples/learners.
10th Day…
…Ten Commandments, actually just two.
9th Day…
8th Day…
7th Day…
6th Day…
5th Day…
4th Day…
3rd Day…
2nd Day…
1st Day…