The carolers on my mantel are singing, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” I know this because the rotund gentleman in the gold coat had his page turned to that carol.
Much controversy surrounds this carol with regard to origin and meaning*, but it is a carol I always enjoy during this season of the year.
Much controversy surrounds this carol with regard to origin and meaning*, but it is a carol I always enjoy during this season of the year.
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 power
When
we were gone astray
O
tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort
and joy
O
tidings of comfort and joy
In
Bethlehem, in Israel,
This
blessed Babe was born
And
laid within a manger
Upon
this blessed morn
The
which His Mother Mary
Did
nothing take in scorn
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.
O
tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort
and joy
O
tidings of comfort and joy
"Fear
not then," said the Angel,
"Let
nothing you affright,
This
day is born a Saviour
Of
a pure Virgin bright,
To
free all those who trust in Him
From
Satan's power and might."
O
tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort
and joy
O
tidings of comfort and joy
The
shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced
much in mind,
And
left their flocks a-feeding
In
tempest, storm and wind:
And
went to Bethlehem straightway
The
Son of God to find.
O
tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort
and joy
O
tidings of comfort and joy
And
when they came to Bethlehem
Where
our dear Saviour lay,
They
found Him in a manger,
Where
oxen feed on hay;
His
Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto
the Lord did pray.
O
tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort
and joy
O
tidings of comfort and joy
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 doth deface.
O
tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort
and joy
O
tidings of comfort and joy
~ Lyrics from christmaswikia.com
Wishing all of my readers a Very Merry Christmas!
* Read about the meaning of this
carol here.
Love this song and the beautiful message that it tells. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteThank you Secondary Roads. I hope your Christmas was special and blessed.
DeleteThe true meaning somehow gets lost in mad shuffle that surrounds the Christmas season. I am thankful for such carols that remind us of the Reason for the season. I think that my next year's Christmas playlist will include more of these and fewer of the secular songs.
ReplyDeleteIlene, the true meaning of Christmas really does seem to get lost. When our children where still at home, we read the Christmas story to them on Christmas Eve, had prayers together, and then I served home made eggnog and brought out the cookies and candies I had made for Christmas. This was our way of focusing on the true meaning of Christmas before the madness of Christmas Day started. One of our children also did this with family. (At least one of our traditions passed on to the next generation.)
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