Nothing against the current Christian music scene, but sometimes you just need something that makes the sky crack open and Heaven come down. Songs about "losing my keys, that's the stuff He uses" is okay, but not for me this morning. I needed to raise the rooftop, or in my case, the sunroof since I was driving. Nothing does that like Handel's Messiah. I had forgotten that I had left it in the car from Christmas. I was going to start with the Easter portion, but then I thought better of it. I needed the whole enchilada........
Birth......Death.....Resurrection
Only problem is, the more I was inspired and lifted to the Heavens, the faster I drove. By the time I got to telling the good tidings to Zion, I was going 82 in a 65 MPH zone! What's worse, sometimes I get so inspired by this great work of Handel that I actually have to close my eyes! That's another problem when you're driving.
By the time I pulled into the parking lot at work to the soaring strings of "For unto Us a Child is Born" I felt like I was in the throne room of Heaven. This great work has always inspired me to tears. I find that when I start to sing certain parts of it, my throat closes up and I can't sing. It always takes me back to when I learned it in choir years ago.
It was an Easter Sunday and we had to "borrow" an Adventist Church for the big crowd. Our director at that time had experience singing opera and he had a great voice, (he was also very easy on the eyes), but that's another story.....He had some professional guest soloists come in from an opera company. We all practiced very hard....It was quite a feat and we were all very proud of ourselves. Our director made a bunch of North Dakota German/Russian laypeople, many of whom were pushing 50 sound darn good!
My brother ended up dedicating his life to the Lord that day. I will never forget how handsome he looked walking down that aisle, how gallant and humble, this tan wide-shouldered man in his white shirt.
It was a great Easter that year.......But then again, isn't every Easter?
I made it to work without any speeding tickets, praise the Lord! Hope your weekend is a great one.....and may you count many Slug bugs, Punch a Buggies, or whatever you call them in your neck of the woods!
Oh, sometimes it is just the music, and I think about these songwriters who are so filled with the spirit that they create these holy, love filled, glorious tributes to Him...
ReplyDeleteJust wow.
I'm glad you didn't get a ticket. :)
Happy for the brother's dedication that day, and, oh, btw, I love it when folks write in their posts, "that's another story," cuz then it means it might get told.
and sunroofs -- can only have been invented by some one in love with God -- cuz, they are the best.
:)
Oh, yeah, one more thing -- I appreciate that you have a shout out to my blog on your blog, but following The Old Geezer makes me laugh.
ReplyDelete*giggles*
Oh Harriet, you have to check out Ron's (Old Geezer) blog. He is great, always gives me a chuckle. Has a great testimony too!
ReplyDeleteMake my day almost sounds like a threat (it makes me think of Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" who made the saying famous). But any way, you should know that my favorite is Handel's Messiah. It's the best. After that, the rest of them sound like just songs.
ReplyDeleteCassandra, you are so right. It definitely was inspired by the Holy Spirit. And I love the part when everyone stands at the Halleluiah Chorus! Just as it should be.....
ReplyDeleteI love this post, Lori. And I'll never forget the first time I heard Handel's Messiah -- it was just three years ago on Easter Sunday. I'd probably heard it before, but it was the first time I'd really "heard" it, if you know what I mean. The tears streamed, and my husband was all irritated because I was standing there completely taken in by the throes of music and God, and he was wrestling with a fussy, irritable baby in the "cry room." Guess he wasn't feelin' it that day!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, it never, never loses its power for me. Always give me my best friend calls, and now I call, "the wiggles!" The first time I took my friend, she loved it but got a hot flash right before intermission and we were stuck in the middle of a row. She couldn't wait to get outside! But I was enthralled as usual :-)
ReplyDelete