
George Frederick Handel was a musical has-been in 1741.
The luster was gone from a once-lauded career as an opera composer. Financially, he was reeling.
The German-born composer had been partially paralyzed by a stroke that clouded his eyesight and compromised his right hand, essentially putting an end to his career as a public performer on the keyboard.
If VH-1 had been doing Behind the Music episodes in the 18th century, Handel’s biopic would have addressed the gossipy question, “Whatever happened to that guy?”
In the twilight of his musical career, Handel turned to a new form of composition – the oratorio, a multi-layered work for orchestra, soloists, and chorus that illustrated a narrative or text.
Handel’s text was called Messiah. It told the story of Jesus of Nazareth in 53 musical segments divided into three large parts.
Part I (often called the “Christmas” portion) spotlights Old Testament prophecies and Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem. Part II concerns the Passion (the Messiah’s suffering and death). Part III chiefly targets the apostle Paul’s teachings about resurrection and what awaits followers of Jesus in the next world.
To say that Handel threw himself into composing it is an understatement.
Rarely pausing to eat or sleep, he crafted the entire work, which takes about three hours to perform, in 24 days.
At one point, when the door of his study had been closed for an unusually long time, his assistant knocked. Receiving no answer, the assistant peered inside. Handel was weeping. He held up the score of a piece he had just finished and said, “I think I just saw all heaven before me, and the great God himself!”
He was clutching the Hallelujah Chorus.
It took a while for Messiah to catch on with audiences. John Wesley, who founded the Methodist Church, heard it performed and suggested that it probably wouldn’t have much staying power – one of the few perspectives Wesley got wrong. Today it can safely be said that Messiah will be performed and cherished long after all of us have left the scene.
The “Christmas section” of Messiah is heavy stuff. Its 21 musical components (an overture, an instrumental, 14 soloes, and five choruses) are not sentimental reflections on candles or evergreen branches.
That hasn’t prevented one chorus in particular, “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” from becoming a classic part of the Advent music scene the world over.
It’s a joyful romp based on a text from the prophet Isaiah. The first eight chapters of Isaiah are primarily dark – searing indictments of the seemingly incurable spiritual blindness of God’s people.
But then comes chapter nine. It’s as if the sun comes out after a storm:
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned…
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 greatness 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 9:2,6-7)
Here’s the London Symphony Orchestra and choir performing Handel’s timeless rendition of Isaiah 9:6 – a composition that can melt even a Grinch’s frozen heart.
From the prophets to the gospels to the book of Revelation, the Bible proclaims that monarchs will come and go. But at the end of history only one King will remain standing.
No one will come forward and say, as happened at the Academy Awards a few years back, “I’m so sorry, but we read the wrong card, so we need to take the crown off your head and give it to someone else.”
All other contenders will be unmasked as mere pretenders. Christ alone will be praised as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
One line in particular, because of the unusual tumult of this election year, ought to jump out at us: “and the government will be upon his shoulders.”
In ancient Hebrew, as in modern English, to “shoulder” something means to accept responsibility. The Child prophesied by Isaiah has accepted the burden of governing human hearts and nations.
That means that no matter what we see or hear on the news, the government does not rest on the shoulders of red state senators or blue state governors or progressives on the Left or radicals on the Right or anyone else in between.
Even if we don’t always have eyes to see, the government is right where it belongs – on His shoulders.
To which we can only say, “Hallelujah!”
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