Tonight my wife, three children, and I want to First Presbyterian of Houston to our first ever Messiah Sing-Along.  The orchestra was conducted by my colleague from HBU, Dr. John Yarrington.  The music was splendid; my singing . . . well, that was clearly unworthy of the Lamb who is worthy, as the last choral piece proclaims.  I offer my congratulations to Dr. Yarrington for a beautiful performance, and my thanksgiving to God that such a work exists to draw our attention and devotion to Jesus the Lamb and the King of Glory.  I think that tonight may have been the beginning of an annual family tradition for us.

For those who are unaware, my old doctoral supervisor (when I was at Southern Seminary), Dr. Daniel Block (now at Wheaton) wrote a piece analyzing Handel’s Messiah from a biblical and theological perspective.  If you plan to listen to it or attend a performance, please do read over Block’s essay before you go; it will greatly enhance your ability to understand and enjoy the spiritual themes of the work.  You can get it here.

12-13-10  You can get the polished, published version of Dan Block’s essay in the following journal article: “Handel’s Messiah: Biblical and Theological Perspectives,” in Didaskalia 12 (2001): 1-23.  Thanks, Dan, for pointing us to this text!