I have been reviewing some modern worship songs, but I’ve taken a break to explore some Advent and Christmas hymns. 😀. Today, I’ve chosen Good Christian Men, Rejoice.
“Good Christian Men, Rejoice” is a medieval Christmas carol rooted in both Latin and German traditions, later translated into English in the 19th century.
I first heard the tune back in Christmas 1975 (50 years ago 🤯), when Mike Oldfield released In Dulce Jubili. Here’s Pans People dancing to it – later to become Legs & Co. They used to generally dance to a song if the pop star couldn’t make it to Top of the Pops.
The first time I heard the actual hymn is when we were learning Christmas carols in London in Christmas 1982, when I took a “gap year” to work as a voluntary evangelist with London City Mission. We sang in the streets around Covent garden, the location of our mission hall, known then as “Covent Garden Christian Centre”. Nowadays the little building is used by a church. Some might take issue with “Good Christian men” – perhaps it should be “Good Christian folk” or “friends“. But it isn’t nice to tamper with old lyrics. Actually, that very Christmas, I discovered that children , when they sing Christmas carols, sometimes replaced “While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks at night” with “While Shepherds Wash Their Socks at night”. But maybe the shepherds were washing their socks that night. Who knows? 😀.
Anyway, let’s get to the hymn. It’s not the most theologically rich hymn. It’s quite simple.
The first verse mentions the animals bowing to Jesus. There’s no mention of animals in the Scriptural account of the birth of Jesus, but it does mention a manger, which is a feeding trough for animals, typically found in stables.
The second verse is more impressive because it speaks of heaven’s door opening and endless bliss. We can feel blissful when we trust in Jesus here on earth – some of the time 😀. But we look to heaven for the eternal bliss.
And the third verse reminds us that Jesus was born to save and calls everyone to respond.
Luke 2:12: The angel tells the shepherds:
“You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
1 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ was born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!
John 10:9
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
2 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye hear of endless bliss:
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He has opened heaven's door,
and we are blest forevermore.
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Luke 2:11
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”
Acts 2:21
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
3 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
The thing about rejoicing is that you don’t need to be happy or in a joyful mood to rejoice. But perhaps rejoicing will put you in a happy or joyful state.
Here’s another couple of pieces about rejoicing:
Hibernia Gospel 