Sunday afternoon at the Messiah.

The Alabama Civic Chorale presented their 61st annual performance of Handel's Messiah yesterday afternoon. What a blessing! Listening to the music, the orchestra, the organ, the choir, the soloists is a lot to take in musically. I felt a little like I did at the new mega-store the other day when all I could do was stand there and turn around in circles trying to see and hear everything. Handel is a baroque composer and the themes of the music get tossed back and forth between the different instruments and then handed off to the soloist or the chorus. I think I need to spend an hour or two each day between now and Christmas just listening to it over and over to try and take it all in. Every word comes straight from Scripture. He wrote this entire piece in 24 days. There are a total of 52 songs in the entire work and rarely will you hear the entire thing performed at one time. If you do hear the entire version it is approximately 2 1/2 hours long.
These are simple, cold facts. When I hear the Messiah, whether a recording or live, I can not sing the Hallelujah chorus because when I get that teary I lose my voice. This is one of the best demonstrations for me of what the Trinity is. I hear God the Father throughout and of course, God the Son is the central focus of the entire work. But as I listen to the music I hear God the Spirit and I certainly feel the Spirit moving my heart and soul. May you be equally blessed if you have an opportunity to hear this, whether live in-person or on a recording.

Today I am thankful for so much! I'm thankful that I am physically able to spend the day cooking for my boys. I'm thankful for my boys and the rest of my family (especially this year for Jeff, Wyatt, and Miss Mia). I am thankful that I live in a country where I have clean water and plenty of food. I am thankful that I can worship and serve my Jesus freely. I'm thankful for God's grace and my salvation. Have a blessed weekend.