For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon His shoulder:
and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFBIJgkj_-g
The other day I mused about a corporation picking up on the theme of forgiveness without anything explicitly Christian. I am bookending Christmas Day with a comment or two about Messiah, which was presented both by the Toronto Symphony and Tafelmusik through the season. The reviews I read claimed that both were excellent, for different reasons.
It's good to know that the musicians in both settings did justice to this marvelous staple of both the Christmas and Easter seasons.
I snooped around to remind myself that Handel's Messiah has been performed for more than 250 years, although it had a modest reception initially. I didn't realize that it was Charles Jennens who created the scriptural text from the King James Bible and the Psalms of the Book of Common Prayer.
Messiah is so breathtakingly Christian, and the music is so moving, than many have spoken of the divine inspiration which surely brought it into being. When I included the lyrics above I immediately began whistling the tune and I had one of those tingly moments of memory.
Again, it is probably a sign of the times that Messiah is marketed as a declaration of the triumph of the human spirit in spite of suffering and sorrow. I heard one of the soloists interviewed on CBC radio and he took that tack. I understand the challenge of presenting this work in a secular culture. Still, while there is that element, and the oratorio can be appreciated by anyone, this was not its original intent. The TSO poster for Messiah seen above looks a little like "Singin' in the Snow!"
How do we find our way around the term Messiah, after all? In both Judaism and Christianity, the promised “anointed one” or Christ; the Saviour. Christians affirm that Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise, the Messiah, the Christ, God-With-Us.
All this said, I am glad that folk heard the Good News through Messiah, really I am!
I saw Messiah at the TSO last week for the first time, and really enjoyed it. It may become an annual event for me.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder if the messiah's reign will only happen when we drop all religious nomenclature and the Spirit of Emmanuel is really in charge of all of humanity - and so we are still waiting - and may have to wait for a LONG time, especially in light of present human activities....
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