The following is the introduction of God Rest Ye Merry, a 26-day devotional from the School of Divinity. You can download your free copy here.
For many who may wish you a “Merry Christmas” in December, the intended merriment has nothing to do with Jesus. They see Christmas as a merry season simply because they believe there’s just something magical about this time of year: crisp winter air, colorful displays in store windows and on home lawns, shopping for loved ones, and—of course—being shopped for. These people place their hope in the holiday and, as a result, are often disappointed and depressed when it fails to rise to the level of their expectations.
While I have unbelievers primarily in mind, confessing Christians can find themselves ensnared in these same thoughts and susceptible to the same disappointments. When the turkey is overcooked, when “Santa” puts a gift on backorder, and when you get in an argument with your spouse on the way to the Christmas Eve candlelight service, you can feel yourself running low on holiday cheer. This disappointment takes root because you too, dear Christian, can lose sight of what makes Christmas truly “merry.”
The true merriment of Christmas is rooted in the gospel. The writer of the old carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” understood this. I have to confess that, for years, I thought the song was addressing a group of merry gentlemen, wishing that God would grant them rest. I thought the title was this—“God rest ye, merry gentlemen.” But what a difference the placement of a comma makes. The comma really belongs here: “God rest ye merry, gentlemen.” In other words, the song is expressing the desire that God would make and keep merry those to whom it is addressed.
But how does God make us merry? The song goes on to explain:
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
The Father did not send his beloved Son to be born of a woman in order to give the world a holiday but to give a world of lawbreakers a Savior. In his account of the night of Jesus’ birth, Luke writes:
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:8–14
The angel describes his message for the shepherds as “good news of great joy.” Not just news of joy. Not just good news of joy. But good news of great joy! This is news that should fill you with exuberant gladness and lightheartedness. This is news that will make you merry in the true sense of the word. This is a message to gladden the hearts of those who realize their need to be rescued from the penalty and power of the sin that resides within their hearts. This is an announcement that will fill those who mourn on account of their sin and guilt with jubilation. This is a message of hope for those who know that, left to themselves, they have no hope of presenting to a holy God the righteousness that he requires.
The merriment of Christmas presupposes the reality of sin. Refuse to acknowledge the reality of your sin and you deprive yourself of knowing the real merriment of Christmas. As Hulda C. Miller writes in Creche and the Cross, “Sever Christmas from Good Friday and the result would be to doom Christmas as nothing more than a time to be merry and gay based on Lore.”
As you use this devotional over the next several weeks, ask the Holy Spirit to use these Scripture readings and reflections to refresh and renew your joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His coming to earth is the most joyous news the world will ever know. And through him, that joy is ours.
May God rest ye merry this Advent season.
