Note: I originally wrote this post on December 17, 2018, but failed to upload it.
Have you ever had the experience of noticing something new in the familiar?
I had that with a traditional Christmas song this week.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Savior
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy!
According to The One Year Book of Hymns, “This carol was first published in 1827, but even then it was introduced as ‘an ancient carol, sung in the streets of London.’ In fact, old London had municipal watchmen who were licensed to perform certain tasks, including the singing of Christmas carols. This was one of their songs.”
I knew it had been around for a while. I’ve been singing it as long as I can remember. But when I read it one morning last week, I noticed something I had never noticed before.
I’d have to say that a comma spoke to me that morning.
Now, you have probably heard the saying that commas save lives. “Let’s eat, Grandma!” is much better than “Let’s eat Grandma.”
It’s not just the presence of a comma that matters. The placement sometimes makes all the difference.
The song is “God rest ye merry, gentlemen” not “God rest ye, merry gentlemen.”
The message is not to “merry gentlemen,” that they might find rest in the message of Christ.
The message is to “gentlemen,” that they might find merry (joyful) rest in the message of Christ.
Joyful rest is not simply found in circumstances (like the Christmas season), but in remembering the truth of God’s gift of a Savior.
Christmas “merrymaking” apart from that ultimate truth is really an exercise in futility. If our joy is not grounded in eternal reality, then our pursuits of merrymaking are—at the core—vain attempts to numb the pain or drown the sorrows of life. They are temporary respites that allow us—for a short while—to forget that life is not merry.
But the invitation to “rest ye merry” is an invitation to remember, rather than to forget. In fact, some versions of the song even say, “Remember, Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day.”
The next few verses of the song are more things to remember. A baby born in Bethlehem and laid within a manger. An angel sent from God to shepherds. Shepherds leaving their flocks to go to Bethlehem. And finally, an invitation for all who are listening to the message to sing praises to the Lord and embrace each other with love and brotherhood.
Rest merry, fellas (and gals, of course). Don’t just numb the pain. Remember you matter. Remember you are loved. Remember ultimate and eternal truth that transcends temporary circumstances. Remember the future destiny that is promised because of what God did in the past.
Rest. Merry.
Be Amazed.
Merry Christmas.
