The old carol “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” dates back to the early 17th century! The lines invite us to let the story of the Baby’s birth that we anticipate through Advent to become a source of rest and comfort - “God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day- To save us all from Satan's pow'r when we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy.” Do you need ‘rest’ today? I am not just talking about stepping aside from the hurry of the Season. There is a deeper kind of rest that we can know, that is a real gift of God to us. When confused, harried, feeling helpless in the face of challenges, big and small, we are invited to ‘rest’ in Him, to trust His provision, to know His gracious gifts that are our hope and strength!
God's love story for us, which we celebrate anew this Advent season, is so amazing precisely because it is told to a dark world in desperate need. God sees people who hate each with murderous intent in His Name! He sees cruelty on a scale that is beyond our imagination. He hears the conversations we have inside our own heads- knows our secrets - and loves you, me – and all of this world. He sees our sorrows – oh, the sadness I have known with others this week. He knows our challenges, our competence and lack of resources. And, He invites us to “rest” as we trust Him to work in us and through us.
His love is perfect, not like ours! We often become impatient with someone when they disappoint us, when their ‘humanity’ becomes too obvious. We are willing to dismiss that ‘failure’ after a sin or two. In my natural mind, in my awareness of my sin and the sins of the World, the story of Noah makes a lot more sense to me than the story of Jesus. I can understand God's anger and the solution He proposed! "God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7, The Message) If you are honest, I would guess that there may be a person or two that you might wish to be rid of in your life, perhaps not by death, but a move to some far away place?
It may be that you struggle even to love yourself, seeing only your flaws and failures, all too aware of the gap between your public image and your private reality. There is rest from that kind of turmoil. God, through the Christ of Christmas, intervenes in our human reality, changing everything by His gift of love. St. Paul says it this way: "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!)" (Ephesians 2:4-5, NLT)
"But God,” what a conjunction. No wonder we can sing God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. His word to us is one of redemption, hope, a love that gives grace. The Father intervenes not to destroy but to restore. Will He judge with justice? Absolutely, one day - but right now the Word holds out a path to salvation. "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8, NLT)
The cracks that life’s pressure causes in us is where the Light of Jesus shines through. On the bleak canvas which we smear with our failures, He paints His picture of forgiveness.
Today, I am filled with a new sense of hope - for
myself, for the world that I live in. This hope comes from the promise of Jesus
Christ to love us despite our sin.
Advent sings with joyful celebration -"He comes to make His blessings
flow far as the curse is found!"
Do you need rest? Fall on your knees and look up to the Cross where the broken Savior built a bridge that connects us to our Father. Rest there!
The word from the Word for our meditation comes from the letter to the Hebrews. “The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So, let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.” -The Message, Hebrews 4:9-12
(Video of this blog at this link)
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(A fun presentation of the song by Pentatonix)
God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's pow'r
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
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
Fear not then said the angel
Let nothing you affright
This day is born a Savior
Of a pure virgin bright
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan's pow'r and might
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Unknown
© Words: Public Domain
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