God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

Members of St. Martins and Lewes Rd will have heard me tell them, more than once, the story of how for years I struggled with one line of the hymn, “There is a green hill far away.” I struggled with the line, “He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.”

For years I had understood this to mean that was all Christ could do and when all things considered it did not seem something worth singing about. What is the big deal about locking or unlocking a gate?

Of course I know now that what the line actually means is that only Christ can unlock the gate, no one else. A simple example of how the use of a small comma can make all the difference.

Only recently I came across another example of an oft misplaced comma which changes the meaning of a hymn, or in this case a carol. The carol, “God rest you merry gentlemen”.

It is a carol that we probably sing every Christmas and most of us probably sing, “ God rest you, merry gentlemen” believing or thinking (assuming we do think when we sing Carols!!!) that the carol is asking God to give merry gentlemen a rest. However it would appear that the comma should actually be placed after the word merry, making it read, “God rest you merry, gentlemen”

To the twenty first century reader it makes little sense but “Rest you merry” is in fact an old English phrase whose closest modern equivalent would be “rest assured”.

Placing the comma after merry then tells the listener, “Don’t worry, rest assured, the reason we celebrate Christmas is that Jesus Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas Day.” The carol then goes on to tell us why it is good news, and it is the same reason given to Joseph by the angel in Matthew’s Gospel: the birth of Jesus is good news because “He will save his people from their sins (ch 1:21)

So this Christmas, “GOD REST YOU MERRY.” Do not worry, Rest Assured the message of Christmas is one of Salvation.