ADVENT DAY THIRTEEN

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

 Isaiah 7:14

Friday, December 13, 2024
Isaiah 7:10-25
2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5
Luke 22:14-30

When I was in college, I had the good fortune of being a part of two performances of George Friedrich Handel’s Messiah. It is considered the greatest choral work of all time.

Our college choir performed it every three years as our winter concert, and luckily, my freshman year was one of those times. Therefore, when Senior year rolled around, I got to sing in it again.

As a result, I’ve developed the habit that now, every Advent, throughout the entire season, I listen incessantly to Messiah.

I have several recorded versions on my phone and there’s nothing I love more than a long trip in December to be able to listen uninterruptedly to extended portions of the oratorio in my car.

My wife and I make it a point to see one performance each year.

Messiah is best known for its signature anthem, the “Hallelujah” chorus.

But the entire oratorio is based on scripture.

The scripture verses were compiled by Charles Jennens, a friend of Handel’s and patron of the arts.

Handel wrote Messiah in 1741, completing the entire work in just twenty-four days! “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself seated on His throne, with His company of Angels,” Handel has been quoted as saying.

The verse from Isaiah cited at the top begins one of the pieces. Anytime I read such a verse I find myself singing that portion of the oratorio.

I recently read an essay by a Dominican nun from England which best explains why such a work of art like Messiah sticks with us. Sister Carino Hodder, OP, writes:

“Music shapes the memory, and memory shapes the person. Advent is when we remember that God came to earth as a tiny child, and will come again in glory at the end of the ages; it is the time when I remember that his coming in between, his coming to abide in each human heart and human memory, is a coming no less mysterious and unexpected.”

Hopefully this closing piece of music will inspire you this Advent to recall why we celebrate the birth of our Savior and its significance in our life.

Let us pray.
Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 213)

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Artwork:
(Featured image) Adoration of the Shepherds, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, circa 1650, (Prado Museum)
George Frideric Handel, oil on canvas by Thomas Hudson, 1756; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.