Every year, since I can remember, I have listened to Handel's Messiah at Christmas time. I listen to it during the rest of the year as well, but it's not "really Christmas" until I listen to the whole Oratorio from start to finish. (I can still see the boxed set of LPs that used to lean against the turntable for the month of December out home in Renforth. But I digress....per usual).
Anyway, it wasn't too long into my existence before I realized that every word that was being sung in this Oratorio was from the Bible. You can read a list of all the Scriptures used in the libretto here.
I have had conversations recently about Christmas, and whether or not it’s spiritually and Biblically acceptable to celebrate the Christmas season. It’s true that we are not commanded to remember Christ’s birth as we are His death or to celebrate His birth as we do His resurrection. And it’s generally accepted fact that the date of Jesus’ birth was not December 25th. The reality to me is that if Jesus hadn’t been born in the manner promised and prophesied (of a virgin) and in the place prophesied (in Bethlehem of Judea) in the family lineage promised (the lineage of King David), and lived a perfect, sinless life as the physical manifestation of the Godhead, He could not have died in my place and taken the wrath of God the Father as the punishment for my sins – and not only my sins, but the sins of the whole world. The promise of my salvation started with the birth of a Baby in Bethlehem and that’s the biggest reason of all for celebration, my friends!
Back to the original premise of my post - Handel's Messiah - I will leave you with two of my favourite pieces from this work.
The Ultimate Christmas Carol:
http://youtu.be/TN5BaOGTmGs
The Ultimate Hope:
http://youtu.be/CYTQ6gpcuYA
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