I woke up this morning with God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen going through my head. I thought I would check out the story behind the song and was surprised at what I read. This song was one of controversy when it was written more than five hundred years ago. If it were in today's time, it would be consider a song where part of the congregation loved it and the other part didn't because it wasn't the 'normal' church song. It would be considered a 'contemporary' song instead of a 'hymn' in today's world. Why? Because it was different. It was upbeat. The pheasants of the fifteen hundreds wrote many songs that we sing today for Christmas. They did not like the somber songs they sang in church so they wrote some new ones. As I was reading about this song, I was surprised that many years ago the same thing was happening in churches as it is today with the music. I personally like both the hymns and the 'newer' music. All of them speak to me. It saddens me when people 'can't worship' to one or the other. Worship should not be about us but about God. If He lays on a worship leader's heart to do all hymns or all contemporary songs, people should be in a place in their heart to worship. If He lays it on their heart to do a blend of songs, people should be in a place in their heart to worship. When a worship leader listens to God, whatever is done in a service is not their choosing but His. There are some words used in songs written many years ago that are unfamiliar to us. They are words not used in today's society yet we sing them in church. We all need to understand what we are singing. In God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen the word 'merry' does not mean 'happy' in the Old English language. It means 'mighty.' The writer knew Jesus' birth story very well. That is why he included so many points in the song. He also understood Jesus' power and what His birth meant to those who believed. Jesus' birth brought joy and excitement. These two aspects were not found in other songs written at that time. Jesus' birth should also bring joy and excitement to us today. If He would not have been born, He could not have died to save us from our sins and rise for us to live. Another word that has a different meaning is 'rest.' In the Old English, it meant 'keep' or 'make.' In today's language this song means 'God make you mighty, gentlemen.' How can we be 'mighty'? Only through God. This does not mean we are to be mighty in a worldly sense but in a God-sense. When we stand upon II Timothy 1:7, we stand in His strength. We are empowered to love with His love as we strive to live a life of holiness. He desires us to be joyful no matter what our circumstances. The only way for this to be accomplished is through Him. This Christmas season is a 'tough' one for many. It will be different for those going through illnesses in themselves or family members; deaths of friends and family; financial issues; divorce; etc. But no matter what we are going through God is with us. We need to remember His joy is our joy and He desires us to be mighty in Him. The desire of His heart is for all people to experience His joy through taking our faith deeper and trusting Him more than ever before. In Scripture we read where the angels told the shepherds:
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:10 KJV)
All people. Not just some can have Christ's joy. All we have to do is accept Him and walk in His way. No matter what our circumstance, His joy is available for us. This is a different Christmas season in our home in many ways. The one thing that is not different is God's love that showers us with His joy throughout these days of unknown.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for this song and its rich history! Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! I pray Doc has a better day today. I ask for a healing in his body. I pray for those who need to feel Your joy today. There are so many hurting people on my prayer list. The list seems to grow more each day. Father, I pray especially for my friend whose marriage is crumbling to have Your wisdom with decisions that need made. I pray for those who are overwhelmed with the calendar this Christmas season to not forget why we celebrate. I also pray for those who are feeling 'bad' about no money for gifts to realize the gift of Your love is more precious than anything they could ever buy. Lord, may all who are experiencing a different Christmas this year be reminded Your love is still the same as it is every Christmas. Thank You Jesus for being My Reason for the Season! Amen.
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