I love the sound, the feel, the smoothness of ancient songs.  Good Christian Men Rejoice appears in a manuscript housed in Leipsic, Germany c. 1400.  From that time on many of the early composers, Buxtehude and Bach included, used the tune in organ and vocal music settings.  The Latin words were interspersed with German to create the song we know today.  In my most recent arrangement the words are still interspersed with English of course.

There is an interesting story about how this Carol came to be…

“Now this same angel came up to the Servant (Suso) brightly, and said that God had sent him down to him, to bring him heavenly joys amid his sufferings; adding that he must cast off all his sorrows from his mind and bear them company, and that he must also dance with them in heavenly fashion. Then they drew the Servant by the hand into the dance, and the youth began a joyous song about the infant Jesus…”

www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/in_dulci_jubilo.htm. Retrieved 24 July 2008. (Click for more information on the carol)

And so we have Good Christian Men Rejoice/In Dolce Jubilo. (Click and sing along.)

Good Christian Men Rejoice, with heart and soul and voice! Give ye heed to what we say: Jesus Christ is born today.  Man and beast before Him bow, and He is in the manger now: Christ is born today, Christ is born today!

Give ye heed…in other words – Look up and listen, this is important.  Christ is born today!  Have we become so used to these words that  we don’t hear them or perhaps even take them for granted?  Every one bowed to worship Him them,  is still paying homage, and Revelation 15:4 tells us all people and nations will continue to do so into eternity.

Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul and voice!  Now ye hear of endless bliss; Jesus Christ was bon for this.  He has opened heaven’s door, and man is blest forevermore.  Christ was born for this, Christ was born for this.

Endless bliss?  Christ was born for this?  Without Christ we would have no hope, no eternity, nothing.  Praise God that the temple drape was torn so everyone could enter heaven’s door into the Holy of Holies and spend eternity with the Only One who really matters.

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!

Have you felt the calling?  The something is missing feeling?  It seems to me the calling is strongest at Christmas.  I often feel this sense of longing, of restlessness, of what is missing… I know where it’s coming from, a stirring deep within to connect with my One and Only.  Even though only God knows when I say…Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Heavenly Father, You gave the Son, He gave the Spirit…what more could I need or want.  The Gift is more precious to me than life itself.  There’s a stirring deep within me that can only be You. Thank You!