A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22
Sameach(merry) in the Hebrew describes a state of settled gladness that springs from a covenant relationship and favor of God and His blessing that make us gleeful and rejoicing. In typical Hebrew fashion the word merry has a much deeper meaning than in the English or even the Greek. In Hebrew everything is rooted in God and who He is. And He wants us to live a fulfilled, healthy and joyful life. And when we know we are loved we find ourselves having a merry heart, especially when we know how much we are loved by God.
When we say Merry Christmas it’s mostly seen from a secular point of view where being merry is being amused by something temporal and when that is fleeting so then is our merriment. And that runs parallel to the worlds take on Christmas making it materialistic and temporary. But the true reason for the season is Jesus, and He is anything but temporary. Isaiah 9:6 calls Him the Everlasting Father for He came to show us the Father and that when people saw Him, they saw who God the Father truly was (John 14:9). He was not just Almighty God to worshipped from a distance, by rather wants to be in a relationship with His creation. And those who see Him and accept His Son are now also considered His children.
Being called His child is one of the greatest joys of our lives, it makes our hearts merry, life seems lighter and brighter just to know we have a Father who loves us with an everlasting love. He’s our light in the darkness and our peace in the midst of the conflict whatever that might be. So next time you say Merry Christmas to someone, know you are telling them to experience the gladness of heart that comes from an eternal relationship with the Christ of Christmas.
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