The "Messiah" is not Christmas music

There are too many to count. Especially here in Canada. In my (poor) parish we're still on the Catholic Book of Worship II which is significantly LESS politically correct than the "latest and greatest" CBW III. But there's still quite a few lyric changes. Some I would qualify as harmless but pointless (substituting ills for sin -- leave the author's work, or the traditional words, alone!). Others are in the style which you mentioned, mostly a pathological aversion to the word "man" purporting to represent humanity.

But the hymns aren't the worst here in Canada with our (disallowed by the Vatican but still in use) NRSV lectionary.

For example our Lord invites his apostles to follow him because "i will make you fishers of people". Or how about -- "you are no longer slaves but children, and because you are children you are heirs of God through Christ". (Didn't look them up but you get the picture.) If you are a son you ARE (by definition) an heir. If you are a child you are young. That's it. That's all.

I really have to take issue with your statement re:Messiah. While it's true that it was, as far as I know, originally intended to be sung during Lent, it's also still quite true that many parts of it are specifically appropriate for Christmas -- in particular "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" and "Behold a Virgin Shall Conceive" etc. I see nothing wrong with performing the "Christmas" portions of it at Christmas time. Of course it would be nice if it would be performed during Holy Week, but I've only seen that done once.

Good point, Gordon. I don't have any problem with performing the Christmas portions of "Messiah" during Advent or Christmas. But the oratorio is almost exclusively performed during Advent, which is like singing "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" on Christmas Eve.

I agree, Eric and Gordon.

And just to mix things up, I'm having my choir do "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" on Christmas Eve.

For a year now, I've been preparing the "music bulletins" for my parish, and unshamefacedly leaving in (or in many cases restoring) the masculine pronouns. It continues to amaze me how far the PC crowd will go to avoid them.

Last night, at my parish's Advent concert, we concluded with "Hark! the Herald," but we sang not only "Pleased as man with men to dwell," but also, "Born to raise the sons of earth."

As far as the Advent/Christmas portion of Messiah, I agree -- but to do even that part of it without no. 44 would seem incomplete, but that's probably just the viewpoint of a musician who has sung and played in many, many presentations of that work.

Sorry, wandered off topic. What a surprise!

Eric, I agree with your point about no. 44, but it really a celebration of God's kingship over all the universe rather than of the resurrection, in my view. "Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our God, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever, King of Kings and Lord or Lords."

I can see where that could be in recognition of CHrist's defeat of death, but to me it is a declaration -- perhaps the most forceful and joyous in all of music literature -- of God's omnipotence. (I would have to put Franz Schubert's Die Allmacht high on that list, but it isn't a choral piece.)

For me there is no question of whether to include the Hallelujah with a Christmas performance of (the Advent/Christmas portion of) Messiah. But again, that's from use and repetition, so perhaps I don't see it as clearly as someone else might.

Eric, Eric, Eric, whatever shall I do with you.

Yes, Handel's Messiah is an Easter oratorio. Yes, the Hallelujah chorus is taken from Revelation is about the second coming and the eternal reign of Christ over a new heaven and a new earth.

HOWEVER...

The incarnation of Christ is fairly innocuous to the world. Christ isn't very "threatening" as a babe in a manger. Christmas isn't JUST about the incarnation, it's about the beginning of the unfolding of ages of prophecy and God's eternal plan of reconciliation. THEREFORE, it behooves the Church, it behooves believers everywhere to use Christmas and the beautiful imagery of the nativity as a springboard to explain to the great unwashed as the song goes that this Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, who dwelt among us, lived, died, rose again, and is coming to forever destroy sin, death, evil, pain, and sorrow.

I would also point to prophecy in Isaiah that we often herald at this time of year:

Isa 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

We're not proclaiming ONLY the birth of Christ, we're proclaiming the TOTALITY OF HIS MISSION and the eternal length of his reign over the universe.

That's a powerful, relevant message at any time of the year but especially Christmastime.

Ergo, I shall sing the Hallelujah chorus loudly and proudly (and hopefully on key) this season.

+J.M.J+

>>>"Born to raise the sons of earth."

Isn't the "inclusive" substitute "Born to raise us from the earth," or "up from earth" or something like that? Sure it rhymes, but doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Here's what's been bugging me: I've noticed during the past two Advent seasons a tendancy to avoid "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" at some local churches. Is this true in other parts of the country as well?

I can't help but wonder why. Is it because they feel the song is overdone, an Advent cliche perhaps? (Though it's only sung during one season a year anyway!) Do they just want to give other Advent songs a chance? Or is it because they suspect the first verse of antisemetism: "...captive Israel/which mourns in lonely exile here..."? I think I remember hearing last year about a Jewish group which complained about that hymn. Does that mean we'll soon see it thrown on the "politically incorrect" trash heap?

In Jesu et Maria,

Rosemarie,

Fr. asked me to "limit" "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," but not for political reasons. It's just that the 11:00 people (aging folkies) sang it EVERY SINGLE WEEK the last three years, and he was sick of it.

That dismayed me, because i really like it, and nothing is a better Advent hymn, but we only sang it the first and third Sundays of Advent this year. Next year, though, I'm resurrecting the Kodaly arrangement of it (scary as the modulations are). Maybe he'll like it better that way. :)

Any idiot who thinks "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is anti-Semitic is a complete and total moron, and if he is in a position of teaching in the Church should be smacked silly by little old ladies with canes.

I am not an expert on Handel's Messiah, but I had the sense that it seemed in each of its movements [?] to tell the story of Jesus' life from incarnation to death, to ressurection and the final triumph as King of Kings, Lord of Lords. I don't think I disagree w/any one's comments. I do not claim to know it all either. The Hallelluia chorus is so beautiful I cry in awe of the beautiful music and the profound meaning of the words.

On "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," I noticed that, for a number of years we sang that song on every Advent in Sunday. The Kyrie, the Gloria, Sanctus, Memorial Acclimation and Agnus Dei were to that tune. We've stil done the latter but only sang the song itself this last Sunday of Advent. I came to long for the song and was perplexed by its absence. There are so few good Advent hymns. Our music director seems to rely on the same songs--for communion, especially--every week of a season. Some probably should be used often, but there's a lot of good stuff we don't sing as a result. It's rather annoying, especially when he relies on the modern sing-song stuff.

er, how about 'every Sunday in Advent.'

Had Christmas get-together with family this weekend. O Come - Emmanuel was used in lieu of the Alleluia --- I don't think that's right. Then again, everything was draped in light blue and the kyrie has been missing for years.

This parish is also the one that sings "amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved and set me free".

This parish also sings "maranatha" repeatedly before everything. I don't know what that is or means. I don't sing it because I don't think it belongs. Does anyone know what "maranatha" is?

you're such a Scrooge.

Messiah is beautiful, any time of the year. And this year, it would have been great for putting me into the Christmas spirit... save a snowstorm blew up and then I had a torts exam the day after.

+J.M.J+

"Maranatha" is an ancient Christian prayer in Aramaic, meaning "Come, O Lord!" It appears in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 16:22, and is found in the liturgy recorded in the Didache.

In Jesu et Maria,

Whoa, Katherine -- maybe that torts exam made you a little grumpy. (I get grumpy when I think of our screwed-up tort law, too, but I digress.) I didn't say I don't like "Messiah," only that this isn't its time of year. I think Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" is gorgeous but I'm not in the mood to hear it in July.

Ken, if the "Halelujah" chorus is appropriate for Christmas, then I will be at your funeral to sing "Happy Birthday."

...it is *not*, however, found in the liturgy recorded in the Roman Missal that sits upon the altar of any Catholic Church. If "Maranatha" is a common musical setting used at every chance singing is allowed, that's one thing. If they're just singing "Maranatha" whenever they feel like it or at other than the permitted places, it isn't a good thing.

For several years we've been singing, "born to raise us from the earth" instead of "born to raise the sons of earth.." really grates on the ear..

Lynn,

that's the beauty of doing the music bulletins myself! I can correct the words when I redo the typesetting for the hymns. I like to call it 'stealthodoxy.'

Other than that you're older than I and I expect to outlive you, Eric, ;), I could care less if you sing Happy Birthday at my funeral. Sing it as a prophetic proclamation of my rebirth from the dead at the coming Resurrection. After all, we look forward to the Resurrection of the dead at the burial thereof, and Christ is the Firstborn from among the dead.

When I pass on I want people to rejoice at the coming Resurrection and in my being in the presence of the Lord, not in sorrow at my passing. Of course, I also want the preacher to issue an altar call after a sermon about salvation. But I digress.

At any rate, your view about the timeliness illustrates seasonal perspective on Christian worship which compartmentalizes things thematically according to season in the Christian calendar.

But Christianity is not about cycles, it's about the linear unfolding through time of God's eternal plan towards the end of this age and the inauguration of a new heaven and a new earth. We remember Christ born at Christmas, but we also preach him as living a blameless life, having died for our sins, having been raised from the dead by the will of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, having risen again to the right hand of the Father, and coming soon to judge the quick and the dead.

The evangelical impact of Christmastime is squandered if we as a church fail to carry the ball as it were with the Gospel message and stay stuck adoring Christ in the manger.

We don't want to lose the attention of the unwashed who are attracted to the beauty of the Christmas story. We want to evangelize them by springing into the full story of the life, death, resurrection, and imminent Second Coming of our Lord.

Likewise at Easter we must give backstory, back to prophecy in Isaiah and then through his Incarnation, life, and ministry, to catch up the unbeliever visiting in the pews.

Preach Christ in word and song in the full context of his complete nature as divine and human and you pierce through the veil of darkness over th eyes of the unbeliever with the light of the Gospel.

Preach the message, deliver it in its total context, and the Holy Spirit does the rest. Then it's of course all up to the evangelized person to accept or reject Christ.

On a side note, don't you think "Joy to the World" far exceeds the Christmas-only mandate? Some of the verses really speak to the return of Christ and the 1000 year reign in Revelation:

No more let sins
And sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make
His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found

He rules the world
With truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of
His righteousness
And wonders of his love
And wonders of his love
And wonders, and wonders of his love

That sure doesn't sound like the present situation. We as the church are ushering in and heralding the coming of the kingdom of God, and establishing it in the hearts of men who come to accept Christ, but certainly an actual Messianic reign will not happen until Christ returns at the Second Coming.

Ergo I guess you can scrap those two verses of "Joy to the World" as well.

Plenty of good, traditional hymns anticipate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Like "We Three Kings," which has a line about "sealed in the cold, dark tomb" or something like that -- it's in the verse about myrrh.

(Ken, see the rest of my reply on the main blog.)

+J.M.J+

>>>...it is *not*, however, found in the liturgy recorded in the Roman Missal that sits upon the altar of any Catholic Church.

True, I was only asserting the meaning and antiquity of the prayer - that it appears in Scripture and the Didache. I was not saying it *has* to be used in the current liturgy. I don't really know enough about how her parish is using it to say whether or not it is permissible.

In Jesu et Maria,
Rosemarie

Thanks for the sidebar on the Maranatha issue - I'm guessing they are using it, like other "trends" in their "faith community" to be more trendy/meaningful/deep/relevant (whatever word that is in vogue this week)than the Catholic Church.

It's amazing. The MASS, as laid out in the GIRM, is beautiful. Why people muck it up is beyond me.

The Presbyterian church near me has a Messiah sing-along in Holy Week.

My parish changed all the Christmas carols to make them politically correct years before I started going there. We also use OCP music mostly, which also is pretty PC. I also object to the lowering of the key, often as much as a third. Some of these are mighty tough on sopranos in the new, much too low, keys.

I agree with Katherine, "Messiah is beautiful any time of year." I can also see the theological implications already posted by many that it is indeed written to emphasize the Resurrection. And there are several other beautiful parts that would be most appropriate for Christmas, espcially"For Unto us a Child is Born." However, in all of these posts, one liturgical/musical principle MUST be given our utmost attention: No matter where or when MESSIAH is sung, it must be done WELL and CORRECTLY in order to have any kind of impact or prayerfulness. Liturgy is, after all, the "work of the people" and such an intricate piece such as Messiah cannot, and SHOULD NOT be performed without the proper musical preperation and instrumental accompaniment. To do otherwise in a casual and/or "sing along" manner is disrespectful to this great moment in our salvation history and to the visionary musical efforts of Handel.