He Showed Up

 

 

And there you have it … the significance and meaning behind Christmas. Wrapped up nice and tidy! He showed up.

 

Several years ago, one of my favorite pastors preached a sermon with this title. It was one of his finest. The simple message resonated very deeply within me. 

 

God, in his infinite mercy and boundless love for mankind, showed up.

 

He made it possible for me, for you, for anyone else who so chooses, to have an avenue directly into His kingdom.

 

God didn’t have to do this, you know. He did it because He truly does love you beyond all reason and good sense. He cares about you – every single hair on your little head – in ways that you’ll never comprehend. Cares about your spouse, your kids, your parents, the mean old lady in your neighborhood … everybody.

 

So, He sent his Son, our Savior, Jesus. Emmanuel. Hope. Light in a dark world. However you wish to describe Him.

 

God put Him (Jesus) on Earth to literally create a “bridge,” if you will, across the great chasm between us, down here, and God, up there.

 

You see, we are imperfect, all of us. Flawed. Goofed up. Messed up. Broken. Sinners. Scum. Unclean. Unacceptable. Downright filth.

 

Only perfect, sinless, spotless, pure things can ever get close enough to reside with God, our creator. And in our natural states, none of us qualifies. We’re all losers in that regard.

 

But … there is hope. A way. A promise. An outstretched hand.

 

That way is Jesus.

 

God put Him here, to “bridge” the chasm of sin between us and Himself. Jesus – and only Jesus – can make you and me acceptable unto God. Cleanse us. Rid us of our sins. And make us worthy to enter God’s Kingdom. If you ask Him, Jesus will gladly bear the burden of your personal sins, take them on Himself, and vanquish them forever, so that you – unworthy, undeserving you – can be presentable unto God.

 

Pretty cool, huh?

 

So yes, that’s what Christmas is all about. For real. No kidding.

 

He showed up.

 

And through Him, you may now have eternal life. Period. End of offer. No strings attached. He only wants you to believe, admit you’re a sinner, and commit.

 

Sure, I love Christmas fudge (you may read about that elsewhere on these pages), Christmas trees, decorations, lights, music especially, giving gifts, my wife’s famous Christmas cookies, etc., etc., etc. That’s all wonderful and good stuff. And God wants us to enjoy it. We’re supposed to have fun – He wants you to be happy, believe it or not!

 

But underneath it all? Behind it all? Whichever way you wish to look at it, lies the simple, pure, often-unspoken nugget of truth to his overblown holiday:

 

He showed up.

 

Merry Christmas, y'all. 

_____

 

(If you have questions about this simple notion, please, let me know, or ask someone nearby to explain it to you – a pastor, a priest, a counselor, etc. Or contact me. Seriously. I mean it.)



Singing "The Messiah"

 

 



(Click ‘n’ play to hear one of THE most awesome performances ever of Handel’s masterpiece! This is the coolest “flash mob” I’ve ever seen, performed by more than 650 vocalists, all accompanied by the “Wanamaker Organ,” the world’s largest operational pipe organ. Crank this video wide open and let ‘er rip while you read below!)
 

Random ramblings about Messiah …

Many years ago I had the pleasure and privilege of taking part in a community choir presentation of Handel’s Messiah in its entirety.

The original full score is something like 259 pages in length; the oratorio is massive in size by any standard. It is exhausting to rehearse, to learn, and especially to memorize, which is what we did. We each bought the full Messiah book, practiced and studied for months, then put the books away the one night we performed Handel’s masterwork for a large crowd.

As I recall, we started rehearsing in the summer with a target date of performing one night in December. Yes, it took that long for us amateurs to conquer this musical beast!

In my fading recollection we turned in a magnificent performance, all of us. We brought the crowd to its feet for a standing ovation. But the real “winners,” I still believe, were those of us who “mastered” the Messiah and learned it inside and out.

Even though it’s been more than 30 years since I took part in the hours-long performance, I still to this day remember my lines. I quietly hum along whenever I’m fortunate enough to hear parts of the music played. Once you get inside of Messiah and truly give yourself over to the richness of the composition, it gets inside of you. Believe me, if you memorize and perform it as Handel intended, you’ll never forget it, nor get over it.

(Handel – probably, through Divine Intervention – composed the entire Messiah score in a period of 24 days. There is apocryphal story that claims Handel believed, as he wrote the "Hallelujah" chorus, "he saw all heaven before him." It’s an amazing work, and it can do amazing things to the singers who perform it.)

 

The final page of Handel's "Hallelujah" Chorus, written in his own hand.
Can you imagine writing 259 pages of music like this in only 24 days?!

 

Singing it is incredibly uplifting and inspiring. You verbalize, over and over and over, key scriptural passages about our Savior. And they soak in. They take root. They really, really start to mean something, deep in your soul and heart.

I’ve gotten misty-eyed almost every single time I’ve performed the “Hallelujah” Chorus. Once or twice I’ve even been moved to tears (performing it, mind you, not singing along in the congregation or audience). It is incredibly moving, and powerful beyond belief. This chorus taxes you. It’s a difficult piece of music to sing (depending on your part [bass, tenor, whatever], you’re constantly coming in and out vocally, singing and then stopping, starting again and stopping again) and it’s physically very tiring. You’re singing while those in front or behind are pausing, then you stop and they start, etc., etc. It’s blinding at times! But oh my, what a glorious experience. The chorus builds to an incredible climax, and ends in a furious explosion of noise and sound, extolling God’s perfect gift to mankind. Awesome!

I learned a lot about myself during that autumn of rehearsal, about commitment, about being an adult, about my faith, about God’s provision for His earthly world, lots of stuff. It changed me. Profoundly inspiring things can do that.

I still love to hear all parts of Messiah performed, especially the “Hallelujah” Chorus.

 

Anyway ... I just wanted to share these tidbits with you, and provide you with a link to the awesome performance in Philidalphia in October, 2010. What a thrill it would have been to have joined in and sung along! Wow!