Messiah

At this time of year, and generally only this time of year, we’re hearing bits of the wonderful music penned by George Frideric Handel, in his Messiah oratorio. If nothing else, we’re hearing the “Hallelujah” chorus and the “Unto Us a Child is Born” chorus.

The work was actually originally written for Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. However it later became more associated with Christmas, the celebration of his birth—it’s suggested that there was already an abundance of Easter music and not so much for Christmas, and Messiah does give considerable attention to the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of Messiah, and their fulfillment at his birth.

The lyrics were arranged by Handel’s friend Charles Jennens. “Arranged”, not “written”, because they are drawn entirely from the King James Bible, with some minor modifications. Shortly after Jennens gave Handel the libretto (the lyrics), Handel composed the music in a remarkable 24 days. (Although he was never really “finished”—he modified it for almost every performance in his lifetime.)

It is often lamented that both Christmas and Easter are now far more secular than commemorations of the birth and resurrection of the Lord. And it’s noted that even when they were more Christ-focused, the origins of both are in pagan festivals that were taken over and retooled by the church. Christmas isn’t even at the right time of year. Believers debate whether it’s appropriate to engage in these holidays or not.

It’s not my intention to enter into that debate, at all. Rather I’d just like to point out two things. First is this: Jennen’s intention, embraced by Handel, was that the work would provide a capsule expression of the entire gospel, the salvation brought about by God through Jesus. And do so through the words of scripture alone.

I believe Jennens did quite a good job at this. You will find the full lyrics of Messiah on many web sites. The collection of 30 Bible passages, spread across 53 movements, is a great synopsis of God’s plan. We might quibble a bit over where his emphasis lies—much more on Jesus’s first advent and less on the second. But it’s basically all there. Try it out, read the lyrics. It can’t help but uplift you. And if you listen to the music while reading, it’s glorious. If you don’t happen to have 2 ½ hours to spend, you can at least listen to a few of the magnificent choruses. You won’t have trouble locating them; they’re all over on the internet. Take your pick of videos of live performances, or audio with the words so you can read along, or even the music + words so you can sing along.

The second point is this. Jennens’s intention was that this work would be a tool for evangelism, to declare the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. I suggest that, whatever our opinion on the celebration of “Christmas”, at this season many people are giving at least a little bit of attention to Jesus’s birth. And to Messiah. Which gives us an opportunity to point out the powerful Old Testament roots of the gospel message, the love of God expressed in giving His Son for our salvation, and the wonderful hope of the Kingdom.

Our own personal uplift, and a springboard for us to talk about God and Jesus and the hope they’ve given us. Two great things, even apart from the tremendous music. And hey, we don’t have to limit either one to December!

Love, Paul