When I was a child, I liked singing “The First Noel”:
The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
But at that age I understood “to certain” as an infinitive. That is, there were these shepherds tending their sheep on a cold, dark night, and they felt uncertain and afraid. So the angel came and sang, “Noel!” to “certain” them, to reassure them, so they would no longer be afraid.
It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized “certain” wasn’t a verb at all, but just meant “some” shepherds. However, I still prefer my childhood interpretation, because we all need those words of reassurance. We need to hear “Noel” far beyond the date of Christmas — into our dark nights of January and beyond. We need to hear the messengers of God who come to “certain” us, to give us the assurance that we have nothing to fear, because God is indeed Emmanuel, God-with-us.