Jan 9 - Eleven Faithful Apostles

Though these didn’t send at Christmas,

the principles remain the same

 

Legend tells us that The Twelve Days of Christmas

was a secret catechism during times of persecution.

For these twelve days let’s focus on twelve teachings:

The Eleventh Day of Christmas

Eleven Pipers Piping

 

My son Jay is a piper … and a fifer.

 

The first time he did a Revolutionary War re-enactment, an experienced drummer was coaching my little twelve-year-old. He explained that the fife and drums were signal callers of the unit. In the heat of battle, the wail of fifes and pipes can be heard above the musket fire. At the officer’s command, they’d blow “advance” or trill “retreat.”

 

“In battle,” said the portly drummer, “we will essential follow the line of soldiers.” Re-enactments aren’t real battles, of course. Pretend fifers don’t issue real commands. “Instead,” said Jay’s experienced coach, “When the soldiers advance, we advance behind them. And when they stop to load their muskets and fire, we kneel behind them. It was how the young drummer boys and fifers stayed safe.”

 

So Jay did as he was told. When the soldiers advanced, he stood and advanced. When they stopped and fire, he knelt behind the lines. It was up and down. Kneel and advance. Kneel and retreat. Shots were continually fired. Pretend soldiers were continually “keeling over dead.” It was up and down, up and down. Kneel and advance.

 

One time as the soldiers stopped again, the portly drummer beside Jay knelt again. But this time his pants split wide open! He whispered anxiously to my boy, “Jay, take my drum. At the next gunshot, I’m ‘dying’!”

 

Fifers and pipers were signal callers. They relayed the commands. And that’s what the eleven pipers piping represent.

 

The eleven pipers are the eleven faithful disciples (remembering, of course, that Judas, the twelfth, betrayed Jesus). But after Jesus’ death, the eleven remaining disciples were “sent to war.” Ten out of eleven were killed as martyrs. The eleventh – John – was tortured and imprisoned. But they were brave pipers, sent into hostile territory to call out the signals and commands of Jesus the King.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s willing to take

a bullet for the kingdom

(and wonders why to many are so shy

to proclaim the good news when it’s a whole lot

less embarrassing than splitting your pants)