Beethoven's Hallelujah

Hallelujah! unto God's Almighty Son.
Praise the Lord, ye bright angelic choirs,
In holy songs of joy.
Man, proclaim His grace and glory!
Hallelujah! unto God's Almighty Son.
Praise the Lord in holy songs of joy.

The words above are from a Beethoven composition...Beethoven's Hallelujah.  This is from his oratorio called the Mount of Olives which is a reflection of Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his suffering and crucifixion.  Our Choir director, Ted Cornell, has said of Beethoven's work: "It's perfect music...just perfect".  Apparently Beethoven composed this entire oratorio in about 14 days in 1802 when he was about 31 years old.  At the time he was going through the great personal loss of his hearing...he was turning deaf.  This personal crisis is thought to have caused him to reflect on the great loss that Christ faced.  The chorus that we are learning and will sing in a few weeks is a concluding statement of victory despite the suffering Christ was to endure.  The thought I want to express is that the tender and spiritually rich experience captured by Beethoven over 200 years ago can be recreated by our choir because it was recorded in notes and composition in written form and preserved for us to learn.  When we sing this piece it is as if Beethoven, himself, were our director as well as the composer.  The passage of time has not diminished the beauty or the truth that this music communicates.  And so it is with the Gospel of Christ also.  When we inhale and exhale the reality of God through the intake of God's Word we experience the very same reality that was recorded there long ago.  Beethoven still lives through his music.  Christ lives as well and the music of His Word gives us life when activated by faith.

Mark 14:³² They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray." ³³ He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. ³⁴ He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

³⁵ He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. ³⁶ "Abba, Father," he cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."

blessings,

Rob Smith