Tidings of Comfort and Joy

God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay.
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day.
To save us all from satan’s power when we were gone astray.
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy

Until I started paying closer attention to the lyrics of songs (probably around age 15), I didn’t care for this particular carol. It seemed so dismal with its minor chords and chant-like phrasing. But then I started really hearing it, not just listening.

These powerful lyrics are appropriate, especially for the challenges we have faced this year. In the first verse, the singer encourages and prays for God to keep (rest) you in joy (merry) and for nothing to cause you distress (dismay). The next line is pretty simple to understand:

REMEMBER CHRIST OUR SAVIOR WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS DAY.

Wow. That’s reason enough for comfort and joy. Despite everything- trust me, I know-Christ came to die for us. We have been through a season of sickness, tragedy, and despair. Just when we have uttered the words “how can it get any worse” the unimaginable wrecks us. We are kept by God and can remember that because of Jesus, we can be comforted.

As you hold your family close this week, let us remember. Remember the heartache, remember the loss, remember the year that has changed us all. But let us also remember that our Savior was born. We couldn’t get to Heaven on our own. So He brought Heaven down.

Jesus loves you, friend. You are worthy and matter. So my prayer for you is that you will rest in the comfort and joy of the good news that Jesus was born, and this changed everything in history. Will it now change everything in your history?

I send you tidings of comfort and joy. Merry Christmas!

Please enjoy my favorite version of this carol below...

Comments

Feelings and Faith

Vulnerable moment: it’s been a crazy week. If I’m being honest, the last six months or more have been wrought with uncertainty and so many questions within myself about my purpose. I’ve been in a season of transition in our family with adapting to having an independent adult child and an independent teenage son-both of whom are thriving. So my purpose as a mom has shifted into steadfast support and guidance from a distance rather than rushing to the rescue, which I know is where we should be with them. This shift has adjusted our marriage. Lyndon and I are both learning how to navigate this new territory, and I’m so grateful we have each other. My Daddy died suddenly last year, and I am still grieving the unexpected loss and what could have been. Grief is a strange journey and differs for everyone. What I know is Christ gives me the most profound peace when I feel my turbulent heart trying to sway me. But it certainly is a sadness that is layered. Because of these major life...

Praise Anyway

This has been a difficult week for many reasons. At the start of the week, I was struggling to justify why I must remain patient before moving into the full calling of Unbroken and Undone and all that God has given me vision for. It was only a week ago that I was crying with my mom and sister about not understanding why it seems like some people are able to move so easily into their calling while, for me, it has felt like my years of ministry and serving have been more of a slow crawl and constant waiting for doors to open. My sister made a remark about how hard it must have been for Abraham and Sarah to wait in their promise. I was reminded that when they tried to do things their own way, Ishmael was the result. This same sweet sister of mine has been a foster mom now for nine months. We have loved every little that has come into our lives, and it has transformed my understanding of the heart of God for us. At the end of the day, though, my sister and her husband want to adopt a ...

He’s Already Heard My Prayer

This is one of the most difficult pieces to write. My dad, Steve, passed away this morning unexpectedly. He was the “Music Man” in my world who made life a song. Daddy was responsible for putting me on the stage. At two years old, he stood me on the altar at church so everyone could watch me sing “Victory in Jesus.” At twelve, he was teaching me how to set up equipment and mix sound. As a teenager, we wrote songs together. His love of music is so deeply ingrained in me that I feel a piece of that is somehow missing now. Things were not always great between me and Daddy. In fact, we went for a long time without having contact with one another. I’m so grateful that God restored our relationship in his final years. Neither one of us were perfect in our relationship, but I always loved him deeply. So today, I’m heartbroken. Memories are flooding my mind, and there are so many things I still wanted us to share. I know the coming days will be filled with waves of grief and the st...

More than Unbroken

Search This Blog