Happy Birthday: 2012

Thursday, 13 December 2012

Handel's Messiah - Part III

Part III

(45) I know that my redeemer liveth

Job 19:25, 26 I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand on the latter day upon the earth: And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
1Corinthians 15:20 [For] now is Christ risen from the dead. . . the firstfruits of them that [sleep].

(50) O death where is thy sting?

1Corinthians 15:55-56 (Hosea 13:14) O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

(51) But thanks be to God

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the rest of Handel's Messiah, click below:

Handel's Messiah, Part I

Handel's Messiah, Part II

Friday, 7 December 2012

Handel's Messiah - Part II

Part II

(22) Behold the lamb of God

John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.

(30) Behold, and see if there be any sorrow

Lamentations 1:12 Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto [his] sorrow. . .

(33) Lift up your heads, O ye gates

Psalm 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.

(37) The Lord gave the word

Psalm 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of [the preachers].

(38) How beautiful are the feet

Romans 10:15 (Isaiah 52:7) How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

(41) Let us break their bonds asunder

Psalm 2:3 Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.

(43) Thou shalt break them

Psalm 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

(44) Hallelujah

Revelation 19:6 Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Revelation 11:15 15. . . the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 19:16 . . .KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS.

For the rest of Handel's Messiah, click below:
Handel's Messiah, Part I
Handel's Messiah, Part III

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

Handel's Messiah - Part I

After my last post about a song that quoted Luke 2, I kept thinking about a recitative from Handel's Messiah. A recitative is a song that is usually short and uses ordinary speech rhythms to sound as if it is being recited or spoken. The specific recitative on my mind was "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying," which then launches into the more familiar "Glory to God". Handel's Messiah is one of my favorite oratorio and is often thought of at Christmas (though it really depicts much more about our Savior than just his birth). I couldn't resist sharing this scriptural concert with you.

I was introduced to Handel's Messiah as a child, hearing it at concerts. During the 90's, my parents took our family to Handel's Young Messiah concerts. I am so thankful that they drove us more than two hours to go to concerts where the popular Christian singers of the day like Steven Curtis Chapman, 4Him, Sandi Patty, Carman, and the Winans rocked modern versions of Handel's Messiah. If you have yet to hear this, I highly recommend it.

In my college years, I was blessed to join the college choir that performed this and other oratorios. That only enhanced my appreciation for this masterpiece as I finally understood all of the emotion Handel built into it. First, Handel ushers into the holy sanctuary with the Overture and then captures the feeling behind each scripture perfectly. From the comforting Comfort Ye, to the glorious Glory of the Lord. From the dark The People That Walked in Darkness, to the joyful Rejoice Greatly. From the pastoral He Shall Feed His Flock to the light His Yoke is Easy. This masterpiece definitely helps the listener to comprehend the depth of our Promised One, the Messiah.

(1) Overture

(9) O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion

Isaiah 40:9 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, and be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

(13) Pastoral Symphony

(18) Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion

Zechariah 9:9,10 (Matthew 21:5) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is the righteous Savior. . And he shall speak peace unto the heathen.

When I stand before Your throne
Dressed in glory not my own
What a joy I'll sing of on that day
No more tears or broken dreams
Forgotten is the minor key
Everything as it was meant to be

[Chorus]
And we will worship, worship
Forever in Your presence we will sing
We will worship, worship You
And endless hallelujah to the King

I will see You as You are
Love You with unsinning heart
And see how much You paid to bring me home
Not till then, Lord, shall I know
Not till then, how much I owe
Everything I am before Your throne

[Chorus]
And we will worship, worship
Forever in Your presence we will sing
We will worship, worship You
And endless hallelujah to the King

No more tears, no more shame
No more sin and sorrow ever known again
No more fears, no more pain
We will see You face to face
See You face to face

[Chorus]
And we will worship, worship
Forever in Your presence we will sing
We will worship, worship You
And endless hallelujah to the King

When This Passing World is Done

by Robert Murray M'Cheyne in 1837
Click here to see the music.

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,

1 John 2:17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

When from off the mount of God
We review the path we've trod,

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

When I hear the wicked call
On the rocks and hills to fall,

Revelation 6:15-17 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

When I see them start and shrink
On the fiery deluge brink, -

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Clothed in beauty not my own,

Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

When the praise of heav'n I hear,
Loud as thunder to the ear,

Revelation 19:6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, " Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns."

Loud as many water's noise,
Sweet as harp's melodious voice,

Revelation 14:1-3 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should [are indebted to] always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,

Romans 9:11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,

Hidden in the Saviour's side,
By the Spirit sanctified,

Colossians 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought [owe] to love one another.