Four Calling Birds

My first Christmas as a wife and step-mother I received the most luxurious package. My darling neighbor had a box of golden gourmet pears delivered. Included was a charming pear shaped ornament with an image of a bird on it with no explanation. The subtlety made me love it all the more. Once realized, I decidedly commenced my family on a twelve year commitment. The following years would be memorialized in alignment with the carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Rob found our second year's ornament in a shop at Christmas in the Village in the Historic Gold Hill.  The merchant explained that she acquired the ornament from an estate sale and believed it to be from the nineteen fifties.

In our third year as a family, my mother-in-law did extensive genealogy research. Her work divulged the surprising truth that Rob is not primarily Italian but rather, quite purely, half French! A convenient development given our tradition. I took great pleasure in making several ornaments. First there were the three hens with French berets, the more elegant Eiffel tower ornament, and lastly the bulb with a cut out picture of each of our faces for the three French hens.

December has been quite busy so we turned to good ol’ Amazon for our four calling birds ornament. Not every year can be full of inspired creativity.  

This year I have reflected more on the theory that the song was used to teach Christianity. The idea is that the partridge in a pear tree embodies Jesus; two turtle doves represent the old and new testament; three French hens symbolize faith, hope and charity; four calling birds epitomize the four gospels and so on.

So here we are on the four gospels. Our friends Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. Luke is my favorite of the gospels but let's take a closer look at what sets the four accounts apart.

We must first look at the men themselves. Mathew was a tax collector who famously left his post simply at Jesus’ invitation. Matthew would have been greatly criticized by the Jews for his occupation. It has been said that the book of Matthew is the most Jewish of the four gospels. Matthew seemed to wish to help redeem his accusers by convincing them that Jesus is the Messiah. 

Mark is thought to be John Mark, the evangelist who sparked a controversy between the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. The book of Mark seems to be more of an evangelical call to convert Greeks rather than a detailed account of happenings.

Luke is widely believed to have been a physician and the most educated of the four gospel writers. The book of Luke is also aimed to convert Greeks but those a generation apart from the life of Jesus, who wanted historical evidence. Luke's education served him well in this endeavor. 

John undoubtedly enjoyed the closest relationship with Christ, than the other gospel writers and possibly any person. The book of John was designed for believers of the Christian faith who were faced with increasing persecution. John aimed to encourage devotion in perilous times.

So there we have it, a Jew, an evangelist, a physician, and a Christian sharing the good news in personal ways to their target audiences.

What kind of calling bird are you? Are you most likely to connect to those from your past? Are you more inclined to seek out strangers? Maybe your intellect has you call out as an apologist. Or do you wish to encourage fellow runners in the good race?

As we connect to our Lord, we must remember to connect to others. The good news was always meant to be shared. It's not a matter of "if" but rather a question of "how" and to whom.