Advent Thought 11 and Number 12

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 12 drummers drumming.

So, by the time that had all finished, of what did I have the most?

Take a break and have an intuitive think. Don't do maths.

In fact the answer is a tie between geese and swans. On seven days I got six swans and on six days seven geese. Making 42 of each. The total is:

12 partridges
22 turtle doves
30 French hens
36 calling birds
40 gold rings
42 geese
42 swans
40 maids
36 ladies
30 Lords
22 pipers

Which makes for a splendid sequence. Well I think so. If there had been a thirteenth day the swans would have won clearly with maids and geese sharing second place.

Forgetting for the moment that the twelve days of Christmas is nothing to do with Advent and is a period running from Christmas Day to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th, my question to you is this. How good are you at guessing numbers?

And does it make a difference to how it feels to wait, hope, rest and pray? Today, find someone who might love this piece and consider if it communicates deep truth to them differently to emotionally charged words.

What does a Bible study for maths nerds look like? Some people, floored by an opening question to do with how we all feel, are longing for one. Count on it. We hate the way the world brings, as John Oliver put it, 'feelings to a facts fight.'

The majorette? A ha ha ha.