![]() ![]() So when these old songs find their way into the right contemporary musicians’ hands, the moment feels rare, and precious: a portal into an old world, a reminder of a Christmas that’s not all sweet. It can be hard to sing about these things today, particularly in mainstream music. It’s a musical reminder of a time when Satan may have seemed closer by, when the threat of evil may have felt more imminent. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” doesn’t need to be performed on the lute to feel authentic as Annie Lennox showed, it can come packaged in a super-weird, partly animated music video and still feel cool. Of course, artists make new music out of old melodies all the time. God rest ye merry, gentlemen God rest ye merry, gentlemen 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 From God our heavenly father A blessed angel came And unto certain shepherds Brought tidings of. The simplicity of the composition, the long-held notes, and the gentle plucking of guitar in the background seem faithful to how it might have been performed in earlier times, over ale in snowy English taverns. As with the Lennox version, there’s a feeling of musical rightness here. What a friend I have in Jesus that nothing should dismay me, but rather in Him I can find rest, merry, comfort, and joy! Let's sing it out! Sometimes no matter how dismayed we might be, we cannot just magically make ourselves merry and joyful, yet at the same time, there is that comfort and rest when we turn to Jesus and allow that time with Him to work.And virtually no performers can match Alison Krauss and Joshua Bell in their mastery of their instruments: Her voice weaves carefully with his violin in their 2013 rendition of the song. ![]() At Christmas we are reminded that Jesus Christ was born to save us from any power satan might have. Nick Dixon reacts to the Daily Mail's story: Fury as church changes lyrics of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen to be more 'inclusive' towards. All of these things are not of God, but by satan's power. Sometimes something unexpected really shakes me up and unnerves my entire body into inability. Sometimes unexpected surprise make my eyes or mouth open in shock, alarm, or appall until it sinks in and I accept the same. Sometimes unexpected things cause me to have concern, loose my composure, distress my mind with worry, and disquiet my soul. One of my common sayings when I had 4 men in the house was that I had "daily surprises." There was always something unexpected surprising me. I looked up the meaning on my phone and immediately realized how fitting the word was to everyday life. ![]() It is a well known word, but it is rarely used. Then I thought to myself, "what does dismay mean?" I have always heard it, but I only had a general sense of the meaning. So many people are downtrodden during the holidays, so I wondered how this song might be meant to encourage them. We sang this song ( read God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen lyrics) and the word "dismay" jumped out at me, so I jotted it down. I like to write notes about everything I hear in the church worship service. ![]()
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