God Rest Ye Merry Gentlement: Psalm 85:4-7

TURN MIC ON / WELCOME

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main Campus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our Christmas series this weekend. In this series we’re looking different Christmas carols that help tell the Christmas story — carols you’ll know and love — like Angels from the Realms of Glory, Joy to the World, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and O Holy Night. And — our carol for today — is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

In addition to the carols — a few other topics are driving this series. First, there’s the Advent calendar. The Advent calendar is a long tradition in the Christian church where each week — leading up to Christmas — we focus on a specific theme — the themes being hope, love, joy, and peace. We’ve done our best to connect the words from a Christmas carol to the specific theme for each week.

Finally, our passage — psalm eighty-five — admittedly isn’t what we typically think of when we think of Christmas — in modern times we’ve focused nearly exclusively on the gospels in the New Testament at Christmas time. But — in church history — many passages have been used to tell the Christmas story — including the psalms. But — knowing that it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas if there’s no mention of Mary and Joseph or the shepherds, angels, and wisemen — those passages will be incorporated each week.

And now — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to psalm eighty-five. I’m going to read the entire psalm — first — and then we’ll only focus on a few verses of the psalm.

We’re in psalm eighty-five — beginning in verse one.

Psalm 85 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. 1 Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. 2 You forgave the guilt of your people— yes, you covered all their sins. Interlude 3 You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger. 4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. 5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? 6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. 8 I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. 9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory. 10 Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! 11 Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. 12 Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest. 13 Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.

INTRODUCTION

Our carol for today is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and our advent theme is joy. Now — I know, I know — you’re all probably wondering why I didn’t pick Joy to the World for this week — as opposed to last week — because — joy is literally in the title of the song. Well — it was quite a challenge — actually — to find a Christmas carol that focused on the advent theme of love and Joy to the World is one of the few carols that does. So we used it last week and have picked God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen for our advent theme of joy.

If you’re familiar with our carol — you’ll recognize the joy connection pretty easily. It’s found in the repeated phrase...

Oh tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was first more than five hundred years ago by peasants in England. Music in the church — in the fifteenth century — was usually written in Latin — a language the common folk didn’t speak or understand — and the music had dark and somber melodies — it was music that did little to inspire joy in the listeners. The common folk had no authority in the church and so they kind of just put up with the depressing music — but outside the church building — they began to write their own music — which was actually quite a rebellious act in this time period — music written in the common language and with more joyful melodies. And God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was one of the first — and most popular — songs written during the Christmas season and we don’t know who wrote it.

Our anonymous author obviously knew the biblical Christmas story quite well and captures all of the highlights in the lyrics of the carol. The carol was sung for hundreds of years before being officially published in the nineteenth century — and thanks to Queen Victoria’s love for the carol — it began to be sung in the Anglican Church. Today — the carol is sung very similar to the way it was originally written and sung — the main difference being a misunderstanding we have in regards to the opening line of the carol — which happens to be the title. And the misunderstanding has to do with the word merry.

When we use the word merry today — especially at Christmas — we instinctively define the word merry as something like happy. Merry Christmas and happy Christmas would be synonymous. Well hundreds of years ago the word merry had a different meaning — not happy — but the word meant mighty. A strong army — for example — was a merry army. A great ruler was a merry ruler. So — when this carol was first sung — “merry gentlemen” didn’t mean “happy gentlemen” but “mighty gentlemen.” And the word “ye” — in the title — means “you.” So now we’ve got a carol that means “God Rest You Mighty Gentlemen” — which sounds weird. And that’s because there’s one more word we’re not quite understanding — and that’s the word rest.

Rest — when this carol was written — meant “to make”. So now — if you’re following along — the carol’s title is “God Make You Mighty Gentlemen.” And we’re almost there — just one last help needed — an implied comma — so that the title is “God Make You Mighty, Gentlemen” and now this carol is taking on a whole new — though it’s the original — meaning for us. When we sing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” what we’re singing are words that are like a prayer of blessing for God’s people — “God make you mighty, men and women” — for this is a mighty event that we celebrate at Christmas — it is a Merry Christmas indeed — a Mighty Christmas — for the Savior of the world was born — God with us. As the prophet Zephaniah said...

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

A Merry, Mighty Christmas indeed.

And — now — let’s turn to our verses for today — we’re in verse four of Psalm eighty-five.

Psalm 85:4–7 (NLT)

4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. 5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? 6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

JOY

What gives you joy? What robs you of joy? Our psalm is a prayer most likely written near the end of the Babylonian exile. So — after the consequence of their sin and rebellion — being conquered and exiled to live in Babylon for seventy years — the time of exile is nearing its end — and this psalm is a prayer written on behalf of God’s people in anticipation of returning home. Thus there’s this please of being restored. And asking God to end his anger towards his people. There’s an ask for revival — for God to revive his people again — and why — why does the psalmist ask for revival? So the people can rejoice in God again — there’s a longing for the people to have joy once more — and this is a joy in response to — and because of — their God.

You see, no matter where we try to find joy — if we seek joy in anything other than the One true God — the joy we discover will be fleeting. Thus there’s a message in our culture that we have to recognize for the deception that it is — the deception that states that we’re responsible for joy in our life. And — once we realize that this is a deception — we can be compassionate towards others who’ve bought the lie and have found it leaving them still lacking in joy.

That’s why we need to take heed of the words of our psalmist — for our psalmist reminds us that joy — true joy — everlasting joy — is found in God. The God who shows us his unfailing love in how he grants his people salvation.

JOY IN JESUS

And this brings us to the Christmas story — and specifically — part of the story that’s found in Luke’s gospel. In Luke chapter two we read...

Luke 2:8–21 (NLT)

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

Notice the angel’s message to the shepherds. The angel’s message was one of “good news that will bring great joy to all people.” And this good news of great joy was that the Savior — the Messiah and Lord — had been born in Bethlehem. And this is when we can return to our Christmas carol — a song that captures the reason why Jesus — God’s Messiah, the Christ and coming Savior — why he was born.

God rest ye merry gentlemen (God make you mighty, men and women) Let nothing you dismay (And can we live with nothing in life causing us distress? We...) Remember Christ our Savior Was born on Christmas Day (And why was Jesus Christ our Savior born? He was born...) To save us all from Satan's pow'r When we were gone astray (Though we were slaves of Satan, sin, death, and Hell — due to our sin and rebellion — Jesus came to set us free. And the response to this good news is to sing...) Oh tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy

CONCLUSION

And this comfort and joy is a promise that can be yours today. The revival of joy that the psalmist prayed for — is a revival of joy guaranteed to all who turn to Jesus — the Christ — Jesus the One who is both Savior and Lord — who turn to Jesus in faith and turn from their sin in repentance. You see, the joy we all long for — the joy that’s elusive for so many — is a joy that’s found only in one place — or better — it’s found only in one person — Jesus.

Jesus was born so we could have joy. Though our sin and rebellion had robbed us of the very thing we all long for — joy — Jesus — because of his love for us — came to earth to give his life — so we could experience a revival in our hearts that results in our joy. And — the man, woman, or child who experiences this revival of the heart — who finds the joy that’s found on in Jesus — is made by God into a mighty man or woman. A God made mighty man or woman who now has a joy that isn’t fleeting and can’t be snatched from them no matter what life or the enemy throws their way. That’s what it means to be a God made mighty man or woman — he’s done the making — God’s done the forging — he’s done the work — and he’s guaranteed that the work he’s begun in you — a work of comfort and joy — will reach its perfection in you. And that — is good news of great joy for all people — and it’s good news of great joy that can be yours through faith in Jesus Christ. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, what an unexpected work that you do in your people — you make us into mighty men and women. And you do this — knowing how weak and faithless we can so often be. What a demonstration of your power and of the promise, “When we are weak — you are strong.” May you strengthen those who don’t feel so mighty right now — help them to trust in your strength more than they trust in their weakness.

Spirit of God, revive us with the joy that’s found only in Jesus. For the joy in him is the only lasting joy to be found. All other joys are fleeting — they’re temporary — they last for a moment — but the joy that Jesus offers us lasts for eternity. Give us a thirst for this eternal joy.

And — Jesus — what comfort and joy you offer to us. We don’t deserve this gift — yet you’re so gracious, loving, and kind to us that you offer the gift of joy to us when the cost was your life. May we cherish this gift of joy that you offer as we remember that you are the Christ — you are our Savior — you are the good news is that great joy to all people — including us. May we — mighty men and women who have been made by God — tell others of your joy giving good news. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you — having responded to the good news that is great joy to all people — may you go as mighty men and women who have been made by God.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.