A Christmas Carol from 1775 says: “God rest you, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas-day To save poor souls from Satan's power, which long time had gone astray. And it is tidings of comfort and joy.”
We are now in the month of December and starting the Advent of Christ season leading up to Christmas; the celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ’s incarnation at birth, the promised Messiah, the Savior of the World, God with flesh on and God with us.
Last Sunday was the Sunday after Thanksgiving and we were visiting family in the state of Arizona, so had the privileged of going to our niece’s worship service in Kingman, Arizona at Central Church. They started a Advent sermon series that was based upon the great old Christian Christmas carols and songs that are so loved and cherished.
Pastor Shawn pointed out how easy it is to know a song so well that we can actually sing along with the music without knowing what the real meaning of the lyrics, as in the case of the above beloved 15thcentury Christmas carol. In this case, over the period of hundreds of years since this classic holiday song was composed, the old English language has expanded to add additional or multiple meanings to particular words. In this case, the lyric’s word “rest” is not defined as “to relax” as one might think and it is not suggesting to take a breather or a nap. This is obvious by the lyrics in the song immediately following.
The word “rest” here actually means “to keep or to make”. Likewise, the word “merry” in the songs verse does not mean “happy”, but in fact translates to “strong, mighty or victorious”. So, this treasured Christmas song’s verse in reality means: God make us mighty and victorious in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:3“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” This is life-changing comfort and joy.
We seek the God of all comfort; the source of all “true” comfort in the world. In any instance, masking the pain, by any means, doesn’t eradicate the source of the pain; it just curbs or takes the edge off of it, while the root cause remains. Addressing the source of pain leads to healing, in order to be free from pain. The Christmas season brings joy of the birth of the Savior of the world, but for many this holiday magnifies difficulties which people mask. God does not turn a “blind eye” to our sinful world, but “stepped into this world” with Christ to eradicate the pain.
The Bible tells of the comfort in the Lord; never about self-comfort. Why? Because “self-comfort” masks pain, but the Lord goes to the source for true healing. God is our “Go To” to eradicate the pain for authentic comfort, peace and joy. Whatever saves you, ultimately enslaves you. But, when God saves us, He sets us free!
Let’s continue Pastor Shawn’s message on “Comfort in the Lord” in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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