Messiah Reflections
December 16 - Isaiah 9:2 by Val Fredricks
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
There is something inherently fearful in the darkness. Walking on an unlit street can be unnerving, with unknown dangers lurking, mostly in our minds. When we finally reach the streetlight we feel safe and relieved. It is no accident that Jesus declares himself to be the light of the world in John's gospel, (John 8:12). He continues, saying that whoever follows him 'will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'. There are days when our life light seems dim and darkness threatens to overtake us. That is when we must cling to our Saviour and draw from the strength of his light to see the path ahead. He walks ahead of us and he knows the way. So fear not!
December 17 - Isaiah 9:6 by Heather Schreiner
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.
For Unto Us a Child is Born. This is a most joyful selection! Our family has the Roches’ fabulous Christmas album, “We Three Kings.” One of the selections is “For Unto Us”, and it is devilishly difficult to sing along to! It’s a real Handelian showpiece, each voice getting to sing the text and do the tricky vocal calisthenics. Handel originally wrote the music for a different piece, an Italian cantata Nò, di voi non-vo'fidarmi -- two sopranos interrupting each other, railing against blind Love and cruel Beauty. It is an entirely different passion!
In reworking this for a 4 part choir, Handel allows the choir to work together to tell the entire prophecy without interruptions. A child’s birth is a sign of hope, hope for the future, for life continuing. This happens in Jeremiah (29:5) also: he tells the exiles to build homes, plant gardens, have families, plan for the future, for God will rescue them. Isaiah’s prophecy then continues with a litany of the names and characteristics of God: Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (And between each of these qualities, the orchestra does a little shiver of excitement.) I notice how these names are not all powerful names but personal. God is in the silence, the still small voice, the birth of a baby, a wise counsellor, a loving parent.
Pastoral Symphony / Pifa. After the first sections dealing with the prophecies of salvation, judgement, and Christ’s birth, we come to the story of the birth of Jesus. There are many verses in “Messiah” which allude to shepherds, and this is the fitting introduction to that theme.
I always thought this movement was really boring, until I learned that Handel wrote it after hearing the shepherd-bagpipers in Rome when he was there over Christmas in 1706. Generally 2 or 3 musicians would go from house to house, playing Piffero or zampogna (a quiet-ish bagpipe) and ciaramella (a mini-shawm/clarinet) and singing in front of images of the Christ child. (One of the songs which they sang has become famous as the Italian carol Tu scendi dalle stelle . Handel used it as the tune for “He Shall Feed His Flock” which comes later in the oratorio.) This movement, introducing the birth of Jesus, begins with a tune that was inspired by these shepherds’ Christmas carols. Since bagpipes have a very limited number of notes, of course there can’t be much change in harmony, and because it’s a lullaby, it is a peaceful song, and includes lots of trills and ornaments, like the bagpipers would have played.
This simple pastoral interlude introduces the scene of the birth of Jesus, where the shepherds and angels are the main characters. It reminds me that God is always present in the simple, rude things of life, in the insignificant parts of creation, in the sections of society that people want to ignore, with the outcasts. They are the folk who were first told of Jesus’ birth.
December 18 - Luke 2:8, 9
There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Shepherds welcome the Shepherd of us all. By Joy Wee
Often, it is during quiet moments that we witness something amazing, as did these shepherds going about their duties. Sharing such experiences with others is even more special, for often, the retelling of such events is less than satisfactory, with the message often becoming lost in translation, as those who hear may not comprehend. What feeling of community the shepherds must have had, just as many in our churches are now experiencing. After such an experience, surely one would feel called to do something. To carry the responsibility of caring for the weak, the helpless, the defenseless, is our privilege, in the footsteps of Our Shepherd.
December 19 - Luke 2:8, 9 by John Schreiner
There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
This movement of Handel's Messiah is presented by a lone soprano depicting the narrator and the angel. The story is simple: God has chosen to announce the birth of the Messiah to simple folk, working guys doing their jobs; mundane dirty jobs at that. The angel is not appearing to the hoi-polloi, the powerful, the religious elite. The scene foretells the nature of Jesus' future ministry reaching out to sinners, fishermen, tax collectors and giving them comfort and good news.
But the immediate response of the shepherds is not to feel comforted. And that makes sense to me. One can just imagine what it might have been like: you and the guys sitting around keeping your flocks, doing your jobs. Nothing glamorous, just slogging through another shift, another night. And all of a sudden a messenger from God appears with all this shining glory. If an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared before me my first reactions would be: "What in the world is going on.", "This can't be good!", or "Why me?". I'd be scared out of my wits.
Perhaps this is why God's encounters with us now are usually less of the glory of the Lord type of events; no angels, no heavenly hosts. He reaches out with quiet encounters: possibly during prayer and times of reflection but maybe, as this story shows, in the middle of the day at work when you are just trying to do your job and live your life. Let us pray that we are open to His approaches and to whatever He wants to tell us when He comes.
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