HANDEL's MESSIAH and mine

As a follow up - Even from the second-to-last row of the third-level balcony, Handel's Messiah was glorious - like most worship was before people began to casually regard it as a plaything. [Not that this is the way I think churches should conduct worship, because it's not. If the Scripture's are our guide to what God desires and requires in worship - and they are - then simplicity is the rule. But considered as a separate category - sacred art - the convergence of beauty, goodness, and truth - it is a splendor.]

What makes it so great? A few things -

Firstly, it is completely Christocentric. From the first line to the last, it aims all praise squarely at Christ [of course, so does the Bible].

Secondly, the Messiah is composed entirely of Scriptural passages. It is a great way to commit over sixty verses to memory. Of course, I was struck by how often I really wanted to stand up and sing along. All of God's people have the joyous duty of singing God's praises, which is why choirs were eliminated in many reformational denominations. I spent a lot of time thinking about this as I resisted the urge and behaved myself.

Thirdly, God is glorified for His wrath. Judgment is not avoided. This is the difference between Biblical Christianity and contemporary churchianical idolotry. Imprecatory Passages were given to the church in the Psalms to be read and sung and memorized and exalted in. Jennen [Handel's compiler] reminds his listeners that God will sit in heaven and laugh to scorn the ungodly just before dashing them like old pottery with an iron club. There's a word for this ... Biblical.

Lastly, now that we've established the stakes, we understand just why exactly grace is amazing. And man is it ever. Christ's death procured God's forgiveness for the elect culminating in the Last Day when purchased ones from every different nation and tongue will sing in heaven of the worthiness of Christ. Amen.