Last night the family attended the 69th Annual performance of Handel's Messiah in a town about an hour from where we live. My brother-in-law, Gordon, has sung in this event since 1963. Since he was in the 8th grade. He's now 62. You do the math. The other amazing thing is that he still uses his original music book. He's never missed a performance. I was so moved by the entire evening, I thought to myself ... why is this my first time here?
The orchestra, the soloists, the choir ... many of these men and women return year after year, donating their time to uplift the community with Handel's musical score, now centuries old.
Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father ... The Prince of Peace ... how can anyone not feel the spirit of God in these words? And I got to thinking ... I'm so tired of religion, so tired of everyone telling me, for years, how to find favor with God. It was in that dark auditorium the tears came. Not the warm fuzzies either. There's a difference between getting your insides tickled a little and the warmth of knowing when you're being surrounded by the love of your Savior.
I know this is a bit off for me, but you see ... I've never left my faith. Never let go of my beliefs. Oh, I've lost my way many times. But was always found. Always found.
And last night ... I realized that even with this 200 year-old music, I can still hear His voice. Still feel the warmth of His presence. Thousands of years have past, and He is still waiting for us to accept Him. Still here. Despite how we feel about Him. How we've turned Him away. How the world views Him. He will always be wonderful, a counsellor, a mighty God, our everlasting Father ... He remains our Prince of Peace. And nothing you or I say or do will ever change that.
Blessings to you and yours this season.
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