Messiah!

Last weekend I did a gig with an orchestra I play with (rumour has it that this orchestra has the best horn section for miles around). We were doing Mozarts arrangement of the Messiah...I didn't know he did an arrangement of it but we performed it so clearly he did. It didn't seem that different from Handel's version (the original), and certainly not an improvement!

One of my favourite bits of the Messiah is the chorus "For unto us a child is born". It is one of the bits that makes my "stay awake" list. The words in that chorus are lifted straight from Isaiah...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Note the words "will accomplish this"...because during the time of Isaiah, when this was written, it was nothing more than a prophecy...yet still the people had a strong conviction that such a child would come..."the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this" Now though, we are living in the knowledge that the aforementioned prophecy was fulfilled, and in the knowledge of the glory that followed. And right from the outset we see a real surge in spiritual energy...the moment the birth of Jesus was foretold along with the pregnancy of Marys sister Elizabeth, we're told that Elizabeth "was filled with the holy spirit" (Luke 1:41) and that Zechariah (her husband) was "filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied" (v67). Surely something should stir us up in a similar way when we think of the way the prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled. It drove Handel to write The Messiah and, as I learnt at the weekend, it drove Mozart to copy it! And if it doesn't drive us further into worship, wonder and awe then what will?!

I'm really excited when I read that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1Peter 2:9-10).

It's great to think of the things that have been set aside for us to do, the blessings that are ours to receive, etc...but Christmas is where it all starts. I'm guilty, as I've mentioned in the past, of taking things for granted. There are stories I hear so many times that I switch off, I think I know them, and this is one of them. There comes a point when the Christmas story becomes a mere tradition. We've all heard it many times, it comes round every year. But as with every other passage, each time I go back and look at it again I get something new from it. Don't lets take Christmas for granted this year, let it be different, where we don't get caught up in the madness and hype without taking time to think...of the prophecy that was fulfilled - yes the government were on His shoulders but they couldn't hold Him down, and He was indeed a Mighty God...and of all the glorious things that have happened since Jesus came along.