Messiah No. 1-4

Recently I've discovered a very nice series of Messiah uploaded on youtube and would like to share here on my blog. It's in the 1980s, but the quality is nothing short of pristine. Some note worth mentioning is the King's college choir, consisting of boy sopranos, countertenors, tenors and basses, essentially all men - very sweet and light combination indeed.

This is but the first scene of the very first part of Messiah, and it tells of the fulfilment of the prophecies in the old testament, particularly the prophet Isaiah at this instant:

"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned:
for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway
for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

Isaiah 40: 1-5

The first scene consists of the Overture, the very gentle recitative vv1-3, the aria v4 and finally the chorale singing through v5.

Isaiah 40 is recognised as the turning point in the book of Isaiah - that the Lord no longer calls down judgement to the people of Israel, but calls them back to Him. Isaiah's tone changes from confrontation to assurance, with the Lord promising a Messiah that will one day come and display His glory to all the people. Verse 3 is later cited in the gospels of Matthew and Luke on John the Baptist as the one preparing the way, and pointing thus towards Jesus Christ the Messiah.

I have not included the lyrics of the last part of the video as it is part of Scene 2 (No.5).

Summer Breeze

For the fist time in my life, Australian summer became a subjective truth. It wasn't as bad as I've anticipated it to be (yet), since we've always heard of forest fires and soaring 40 deg temps over down under.

Weather has been terrific since I arrived - breezy, warm and dry. As I arrived in the morning, hunger pangs struck at around 9am local time, and we went for breakfast. I had some very well made Eggs Benedict, and the rest of the day was spent lying on the couch reading or sleeping.

My sis and bro in law has shifted since the last time I came, and their humble abode is really lovely. I spent some time catching up with Casper and with my mum. But of course, the biggest change this time I'm here at Sydney is my status. I've been promoted to an 'uncle', in the very literal sense. It was my first encounter with Matthew, my nephew, and he is such a darling.

This brings me thus to the very real topic of parenting. I don't have much knowledge about it since I've not gone through it myself,
but it's always good to be prepared. Seeing my family reacting to the addition of Matthew set me thinking - it's not an easy job having kids. From the difficulty of one kid, it's hard to imagine our grandparents used to have them in the dozens. There might be some economies of scale, but having just three kids screaming for your attention is no small joke. The reason I mention "three" is because there is a possibility that I might end up with three kids in future.

Now before anyone goes about concluding that I'm lamenting my future situation - I'm not. It's difficult to handle kids, but it's also a blessing from the Lord:

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of warrior are the children of one's youth." Psalm 127: 3-4

I'm more than convinced that having children will inevitably reduce your time and freedom (and money of course); but I'm equally convinced that having godly children is a blessing not just to ourselves, but to those around us as well. It's through divine providence that children are born into the family, and there is no other way than to entrust their lives into the hand of Him who formed us.

Maybe I'm being idealistic. Maybe it's because I have not had terrible experience on parenting. Maybe it's this and that. But if we don't start believing in the Lord and conquering the battle, it will always be an obstacle.

Reflections

Truth is sometimes painful, and sometimes really discouraging. After a meaningful conversation last night about writings and expression of my thoughts, it pains me to reflect on my own inadequacy.

I’m not good at expressing myself.

The reason why this blog needs restarting countless times proves this very point. There were times when full post drafts were just deleted because I felt that it would not be adequate in expressing what I really thought of a subject. There were times when posts were conjured up in my mind, only to find themselves hidden there and never to appear again.

It’s the same with this very post. The reason then, why I am posting this up here is because I made a resolution to put into proper words to express what I feel or think about certain things.

Upon reflection, it dawns to me that part of the reason why I do not like to express my own thoughts too often over public arena is because of my sinful pride. Paradoxical as it may seem, the very idea of remaining silent sometimes propels myself into the position of a judge, criticizing what others are lacking in their writing (albeit silently) but defending my own position, giving the excuse that I did not expound on the subject. Or in other words, I always try to 一鸣惊人。Sometimes trying too hard by writing some aphoristic quotes and leaving the readers confounded in mystery, when I myself do not really know what I wanted to convey in the first place.

Of course, I do not mean that everyone (more so myself) should express what they feel or think with the motive of impressing others what they know or how much they know. That’s the opposite of what my situation is anyways, and both arises from pride.

As I write this post, I am reminded of a verse:

“For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1John 2:16

Pride can be so subtle sometimes, it exists merely in the mind. Silent comparisons between my own talents with others who are lacking became the foundation of my self-esteem. But the most venomous nature of such comparisons is that it is silent. Outward expression of prideful comparisons normally end up with boastful statements; but quietly comparing and seeking comfort in the idea that I’m some ways “better” than the other party renders myself no less than a hypocrite.

It is this pride that causes me to delete many posts so as not to appear foolish when expressing myself. It is this pride that I’m struggling with everyday.

Reflection sometimes brings us face to face with the Truth that we do not want to bear with. It is the Truth that we all want to suppress with our very sinful nature. It is only in Jesus that I can find my ultimate answer and comfort. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Struggling by myself is pointless, but struggling with the hope of eventual sanctification and eternal life is more meaningful than anything one can find in his life.

It is with this attitude that I’m “restarting” my blog again – to express myself and my thoughts as honest as I can, making mistakes but admitting them whenever possible and submitting myself to the Truth. 

The Lack of Writing

Many things have come and go during the period that I’ve remained silent on this blog.

Have decided to blog today because of my prayer answered. As mentioned in my last post, my taste in music has gradually changed over the years. Most of the time now, my iPhone is streaming out strings and chorales instead of drums and guitars. I guess the advantage is that you can play Messiah 13534623242 times and not get bored of it, but if you played contemporary songs, your ears will be numb on the 5th time repeating.

So I made a prayer sometime end of last year, hoping that at least once in my life, I get to sing arguably, the most important Christian song ever composed – The Messiah. Not to sing because it’s great, but to sing to our High King of heaven because He is worthy of such grandeur in music.

And so I return home today from Choir, having known from the announcement that we will be singing Messiah this year. It’s great joy indeed, that you know you are given the opportunity to serve. For though we are unworthy, He has chosen us before all Creation, to serve Him and give Him glory until the end of time into eternity.

Decisions have been made in 2012 to go down the path of no return. But that will be another story in another post on another day.