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Liz and I are now veterans of six (count ’em) — 6! — Christmas programs at schools and churches of our grandchildren plus an instrumental Christmas concert in the past couple of weeks. And this doesn’t include a splendid youth program we enjoyed at our home First Baptist Church in Gallatin last Sunday night!
If all that doesn’t put you into the Christmas spirit, then, well… let’s just call you Ebenezer (as in Scrooge)!
We can’t pick a program favorite; each had special moments, although at one event the only thing we could see of our granddaughter nestled between taller classmates was a bit of her green hair ribbon, no matter what seat we tried in the auditorium.
The best laugh concerned a grandson standing there on the front row, reaching down to relieve an itch and unintentionally tucking his little sports coat into his underpants — oblivious to whomever was watching. We just figure he’s going to grow up to be a baseball player!
Every event featured Christmas songs. The tunes were usually familiar even though the lyrics were sometimes the challenge. That’s familiar. In fact, our pastor last Sunday morning mentioned what’s behind one of the best-loved songs of Christmas, making me realize how we give little thought to what we sing.
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is one of the most misunderstood carols of Christmas. English peasants first sang the song over 500 years ago. It was written as a direct reaction to the music of the 15th Century Church, when songs of organized religion were usually in Latin.
Americans today worship whenever and wherever they please. But when this Christmas carol was written, laymen had no power over when, where or even what in organized worship. So, singing this particular carol with its catchy beat, sung in common language, was a work of quiet rebellion against the somber and often dark tunes usually heard within church walls.
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” shocked church leaders but charmed the common man. They not only sang this carol, but danced to it.
Historians point out that the word “merry” may mean happy in this modern age but it had a very different meaning back then. Think upon Robin Hood’s “merry men” …in the Middle Ages, the meaning of merry described a strong army. By the Victorian Age, “merry gentlemen” meant great and mighty.
The word “rest” means to keep or make. So, in modern English, the first line of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” should actually read “God make you mighty, gentlemen” … which, of course, through the birth of His son, Jesus, God does.
And this also helps make perfect sense of the most common saying of the holidays: “Merry Christmas!” …MIGHTY CHRIS