Quick, you are alone on a hill, armed with nothing but a copy of Aristotle, and a giant boar is charging at you. What do you do?
While you are strategizing, recall our discussion on Sunday of the 3rd Commandment. We looked at the seriousness of God’s revealed Name and our need to walk in piety as those who proclaim and bear that Name. It was a sobering passage to study, and perhaps to hear – a passage challenging the trivialization of God that can sneak into our habits so easily if we are not vigilant.
Truly, those of us who serve the true and living God must be sober-minded. But sober-mindedness is a very different thing than dullness. As a reminder that piety and misery are, in fact, not synonymous, I commend to you this week a fun but theologically encouraging Christmas carol sung annually at Queen’s College in Oxford known as The Boar’s Head Carol.
A legend going back half a millennium immortalizes the actions of a brave young student who, while walking the hills southwest of Oxford one Christmas morning, was set upon by a fierce and hungry boar. This boar, having no British sense of fair play whatsoever, was intent on doing great harm to the poor student, armed as he was with only a copy of Aristotle (studying Aristotle on Christmas morning!).
The clever and resourceful lad sprung into action. When the great beast had closed the distance with him and opened its gaping, tusked mouth to snap at him, the volume of Aristotle was plunged deep into the murderous creature’s throat whereupon the hapless animal promptly choked to death. That night both dons and students feasted upon the cruel swine. From that time on by legend, a roast boar’s head on a platter is carried into the dining hall every Christmas while the following carol is sung:
The boar’s head in hand bear I,
Bedecked with bays and rosemary;
And I pray you, my masters, be merry,
Quot estis in convivio: [as many as are dining together]
The boar’s head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
When thus bedecked with a gay garland
Let us servire cantico: [to serve with a song]
Our steward hath provided this,
In honor of the King of bliss,
Which on this day to be served in,
In Reginensi atrio: [in the hall of the Queen – where the feast was held]
Refrain:
Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino.
[I bring in the boar’s head,
Singing the praises of the Lord.]
It’s a lighthearted and humorous song, but one that every Christian could sing with gusto.
I appreciate the sentiment of the modern worship song that reminds us of the importance of getting back to a heart of worship when “all is stripped away, and I simply come.” But a heart of worship is just as important and possible when all is lavished on, and we merrily come. We serve a God who prepares a table before for us, even in the presence of our enemies. He causes our cups to overflow (Psalm 23). He is the God who crowns the year with bounty and whose paths drip with fatness (Psalm 63). He is the one who gave to His people more appointed feasts than fasts.
In short, it is no sign of Christian impropriety to heartily join in merriment around colorful lights and spiced smells and tastes both sweet and savory this Christmas. Just remember that whatever we eat, or we drink – let it all be to the glory of God.
So bring in your steaming boar’s head. Go ahead and candy that apple in its mouth. Let a loud cheer go up from all around the table. We cheer for the joy of Christmas, a joy stronger than our sorrows. We cheer as children of a good king. Our voices rise, near and far together, reddens laudes Domino.