Greg says, "I’ve always loved the potent feelings associated with participating in ritual, tradition or expression that breaks the boundary of time and reaches back through generations. Feeling the association with the throngs of the past and knowing they had similar desires, concerns, problems and hopes brings a strength and validation to what I feel as a single individual. There’s a comfort in the camaraderie and communion that is felt by virtually joining hands with those of ages past."
"As one of the oldest and long-lasting Christmas carols, 'God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen' provides that experience for me. But as a carol that’s been sung for 500 years, I was recently touched at its tender relevance to our modern world. Our current world is fraught with confusion, hurt and misunderstanding as we struggle with the new powers of internet sharing and with an increasingly global culture. We are more connected as people than we have ever been, but with that closer connection comes a pressure of disagreement and contention. How to get along with the myriad of opinions and experiences in our world that is getting figuratively smaller and smaller is one of the great challenges of our time. Can we share, argue and discuss in ways that will ultimately bring us closer together? There is so much offense, confusion, misunderstanding and hurt. It’s easy to want to turn it off, grow tired and lose hope. Where is the hope that mankind will ever be able to reconcile itself with itself?"
He continues, "The message of this carols rings through the centuries as it relates the hope of our day as well as of that of ages past. 'God rest you merry, gentlemen. Let nothing you dismay.' I remember once being intrigued by what I thought was a misplaced comma. Shouldn’t the comma come before merry describing the gentlemen? But no. This merry describes the type of rest, the blessing from God. The beginning invocation of this piece calls for cease of despair and a merry rest for all. No need to dismay. God has come to save us from the powers of darkness and confusion. The darkness we struggle through as we try to work and live together here on earth will be lifted by the gift and coming of the Lord who has within his power to rest us merry."
"The middle verse connects us to the great Christmas story where angels come to the shepherds to announce the coming of the Lord to the Earth. In the Biblical retelling, once the initial angel declares the coming of the Lord a 'multitude of the heavenly host' joins. The scriptures don’t tell us that these angels sing, but in countless Christmas reenactments we have portrayed them as a choir. I feel, as we sing these carols of the coming of the Lord at Christmas time, we join in this celebration and stand with these angels who praise God and declare, 'Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace, goodwill to men.'”
Greg concludes by saying, "The last verse contains inspired council. '...To the Lord sing praises . . . and with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace.' What timely advice. Because Christ came to earth with the light, knowledge and power that he brought we can reach out in love to those around us. Focusing our praise on God leads us away from offense, misunderstanding and hurt and brings us together despite our differences. Even though our earth is full of diverse opinions and experiences, recognizing the mission of the Lord and feeling those blessings can lead us to share, understand and even argue, debate and discuss in ways that still allow us to bond in the embrace of brotherhood. His light, his glory, his teachings, his atonement brings us what we lack in order to reach out in strength to our fellow men in love. We have much to learn as we approach coming to the one heart and one mind of Zion. But the message of this song teaches us that while we progress we can, even now, rest merry without dismay, remember the coming of the Lord that rescues us from the weakness of our own confusion, join with the angels of old in praising God. And we can, even in our imperfect states, embrace our fellow man with true love and brotherhood until he comes again with the healing in his wings that will benefit us all. This Christmas season truly is a celebration of tidings of comfort and joy."
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
Verse 1
God rest you merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay.
Remember Christ, Our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r
Though we were gone astray.
Chorus
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy.
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Verse 2
From God, Our Heavenly Father,
A blessed angel came.
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name.
Verse 3
Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place.
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas
All other does deface.
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