Lore says that the “Six Geese A-Laying” represent the six days of creation.

Few Christian ideas have brought more havoc in mainstream America than the belief that God created the world. Hard nosed pugilists on both sides of the debate between creation and evolution have taken what is a theological bulwark and turned it into a political hot spot. Strict creationists demand that everyone believe exactly as they that the world was created in six twenty-four hour days. Staunch evolutionists require belief in a world created only by chance, with no intervention by a personal or even impersonal God. The fringes fight it out, and leave God out of it all in the process.

Most of the world agrees with the truth behind creation – that there is a loving God who created us. Do we have to agree with a seven day view to accept that God created us? No. Do we have to give way to God only working through chance? No. But we do need to believe that there is a God beyond our world who has not been tainted by sin and who, through His divine power, directed the creation of our world and our hearts. We need to trust that there is a loving God who created us to be good and that we are created to honor Him with our lives.

Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” What God has created for us is good, and we are called to do good in the world He has created.

Lore says that the “Five Golden Rings” represent the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Old Testament.

The first five books of the Old Testament – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy – tell the story of the world from the creation to the nation of Israel coming to the Promised Land. They contain the stories of the Garden of Eden, Abraham, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, Moses, and the escape of Israel from Egypt. To the worldly reader they are an excellent history of the formation of a culture. To the Christian, they are the story of the formation of faith.

If we are to understand the covenant, the promise of God that is the cross, we have to start at the beginning. We only will begin to understand the importance of God’s covenant with us when we understand the roots of faith that are bound in the stories of the Pentateuch. These books tell us of how we have fallen and how God has set a plan in motion to bring about our redemption. The laws that are written within these tomes are mores to guide us in living rightly with God and others. Though many of the stories and laws may seem odd to us today, close study of them reveals rich teachings of faith that show eternal truth.

To understand faith, we have to start at the beginning. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This is where the story of God and the world, our story, begins.

Lore says that the “Four Calling Birds” represent the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Why are the gospels important? They are the story of God’s redemptive acts through Jesus Christ. The word gospel literally means “good news.” It is in the gospels that we discover the good news that God loves us enough to take on our sins and overcome death that we might have eternal life. They are filled with the teachings and actions of God on earth in His Son, Jesus Christ.

If we want to become true disciples of Jesus Christ, then we must learn to study His life. We must seek after His teachings and begin to put them into practice in our daily lives. We can do this by beings students of the gospels.

Each gospel provides a unique insight into Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Matthew’s gospel is written to appeal to a Jewish audience and has a number of references to the Old Testament. It helps us connect the Old and New Testaments together. Mark writes to a predominantly Greek audience and helps to describe the importance of the Christ to non-Jewish converts. Luke writes both the gospel of Luke as well as Acts to tell the story of Christ and the early church. John’s gospel provides unique stories and teachings that are not included in the other three gospels.

If we want to discover who Christ is and how we can become more like Jesus, we will only do so if we study the gospels.

Lore says that the “Three French Hens” represent the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Paul lists three virtues of Christianity in 1 Corinthians 13:13 saying, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” These three virtues could be considered the platform of Christianity. All three are important and describe aspects of faith that are vital to a living, developing life in Christ.

First, there is faith. Faith is the trust that what God has said and done is true and right. Faith, as a virtue, is the trust that in Jesus Christ we have salvation. It is understanding that there is no action on our part that will gain us entrance into heaven or restore us into right relationship with God. These come only when we put our eternal trust in the cross – when we believe that our only salvation comes through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Second, there is hope. Christian hope is unlike the hope of the world. Worldly hope is a last ditch chance that an outcome will turn our way. Christian hope is the assurance that God has already turned things His way. The virtue of hope is the trust that God is bringing about His will both in this world and in eternity.

Last, and greatest, there is love. Love is the central virtue of Christianity. Forgiveness, grace, righteousness, and all other virtues come out of God’s eternal love for us. It is because God loves that we can love, and it is through God’s love that we are called to love one another.