ON THE EIGHTH day of Christmas my True Love sent to me eight maids a-milking.
The image of eight maids a-milking brings home thought of the
milk being drawn from the udder — a sure blessing (and gift) for both the
animal and for the recipient of the milk.
There are eight designations of
character of the blessed sons and daughters of God. These eight Jesus taught us in his Sermon on
the Mount:
The Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
3 “The poor in spirit are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Those who mourn are blessed,
for they will be comforted.
5 The gentle are blessed,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.
7 The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 The pure in heart are blessed,
for they will see God.
9 The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Those who mourn are blessed,
for they will be comforted.
5 The gentle are blessed,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.
7 The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 The pure in heart are blessed,
for they will see God.
9 The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”
Blessed are those who recognise the gift of God’s favour in
knowing God’s Son, in that they recognise that their life isn’t their own, and
that they recognise that life only works when we surrender our will for his.
Those who recognise these eight beatitudes as truths they may
rely upon for the whole of their lives are those who have received God most precious
of gifts. They know that truth is in the
paradox: what seems against them is really for them; that when life seems down
it really can only turn up.
The blessed are those who continue doing good especially when
things are going bad. They know that
they’re on God’s side and that that is enough.
They prepared to suffer for doing what’s appropriate.
Truth underpins every beatitude of Jesus. And every illustrated beatitude is an
illustration of blessing, powerful as a reminder of how a Christian is to live
their life. Every beatitude is like smooth creamy milk, so put together there’s
eight full pints of milk to nourish the purveyor. And that’s the way the beatitudes work for
those who are blessed by them. They
nourish at the level of their soul through the input of faith.
On the eighth day of Christmas my True Love sent to me eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree.
© 2015 Steve Wickham.
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