God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5.10, 11

Often we sing hymns without knowing their meaning, and such is the case with this Christmas carol. I recently received as a Christmas gift a book telling the stories behind many familiar Christmas carols. It was interesting to find out the meaning of the first line of the hymn, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." Years ago, the words "rest" and "merry" had different meanings. "Merry" meant strong or valiant, as in Robin Hood and his merry men: they were not happy, but strong and valiant. Rest meant, "to make." So the line means, "God make you strong and valiant, gentlemen." The next line then makes sense, "Let nothing you dismay." And what cause do we have for such courage and strength in the face of difficulties? "Remember, Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day." The coming of God to be with us in our nature that He might bear our sins for us is sufficient cause for a strong and courageous spirit in this world. If God be for us (and His willingness to be our Immanuel, "God with us" is proof that He is for us) then who can be against us. So, God rest ye merry, Gentlemen (and women).