God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
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 Jewry,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
To 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
This carol does something that a lot of the traditional classics, and my favorite hymns, that matter, do. They encourage others to join in the celebration, to sing the praise, to share the story. And they do so by telling the story, why we should sing.
This one also doesn’t pull any punches. It clearly recognizes the baby of Christmas as the saviour of Easter. It also acknowledges the historical placement of the story — in Jewry — this is no fable, but actual fact, a truly historical myth, in the true literary meaning of the word myth.
At The Rainbow 