“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:18
This is a time of year when many people are thinking about gratitude. In the northern hemisphere, the harvest is coming in. Where I live, in the heart of the desert, the punishing heat has finally abated, and the first cool breeze is wafting by. Christmas is just a month away.
Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve participated in performing Handel’s most famous oratorio, Messiah. For many years, I was in a choir that performed it every year. Life has gotten to the point that I can’t make that kind of commitment anymore, but I love to find an annual sing-along. The oratorio is lengthy if performed in its entirety, so some songs are often cut. One that the choir I was in as a teenager always sang but that I rarely get to do in a sing-along is But Thanks Be to God. It’s the second to last chorus, right before a small alto solo and then the grand finale of Worthy is the Lamb.
This week, as we think of gratitude, pause for a moment to think on the victory Jesus Christ won over sin, death, sorrow, and pain.
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I am going to share a pet peeve, so forgive me. My high school orchestra and choir performed the Messiah every year. But our conductor was a purist and said that it is Not a Christmas oratorio, but celebrated Easter. So, our performance was always at Easter. The Hallelujah chorus is all about the resurrection, and that is the climax of the whole piece. The Hallelujah chorus is what the King of England stood for. It is what the whole thing is all about. The pastoral symphony is the moment of Christs birth, and it is so peaceful, quiet, simple and beautiful (and the orchestra got it all to ourselves.) But that is never played at Christmas time. No, you hear the Hallelujah chorus on the radio and maybe even sing it at church. So, while I love the Messiah, I still cringe about how people get their holidays backwards and perform Hallelujah at Christmas time. Sorry, but it is like singing Away in a Manger at Easter. But then again, there is no time of year when it is wrong to play the whole Messiah because it does cover the whole life of Christ, from the prophecies to the resurrection. But, you can’t find a sing along at Easter time because most people think it is about Christmas and forget that the highlight of the whole thing is Christ’s resurrection. Easter is kind of a neglected holiday, especially among Mormons.
This is beautiful!! Thank you for sharing.