I must admit that it was very refreshing to hear Merry Christmas today, yes on December 26. I was holding the door open for a man coming out of Dunkin Donuts on Kings Highway. As the gentleman walked out of the door, he said Merry Christmas to me. Today is the second day of Christmas. It is also Boxing Day, which is celebrated in the UK, Canada and other parts of the world. Historically, Boxing Day was the day in which wealthy people would give a boxed gift to their servants. Modern Boxing Day falls on December 26 or the first weekday after Christmas. Today is also the Feast of St. Stephen. St. Stephen was one of the first deacons appointed in the early church, and was the first martyr of the church.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves. In the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," the two turtle doves represent the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. The Old Testament is also read and studied by the followers of Judaism. It is also referred to as Jewish scripture. For Christians, the Holy Bible contains both the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) and the New Testament, which is the fulfillment or conclusion of the Old Testament which contains stories of the life of Christ and the establishment of the early Christian church.
On this second day of Christmas, also known as Boxing Day and the Feast of St. Stephen, while many people are flooding shopping malls and cashing in gift cards, take time to embrace the mysteries of our Lord Jesus’ Jewish heritage as outlined in the Old Testament, and embrace his gospel, teachings and fulfilling of the law in the New Testament, as well as the story of St. Stephen and other saints of the early church. “On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves!”
Christmastide Blessings and Peace,
Karsten
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