Every year for the last 17 years (with two exceptions) I have sung Handel's "Messiah" with a local choir. The choir started out as a small choir formed by friends, then expanded to a bi-stake Richfield choir, then to a regional stake choir, and now as the Sevier Oratorio Society which includes participants from all religious affiliations in Sevier County. We used to invite Snow College orchestra to come from Ephraim to play for us, but now we have our own musicians from the county. With the orchestra and the choir combined, we have over 145 participants this year.
A friend and I had missed all the practices this year and had decided that it was a year we would sit out. Yesterday in Church I told her I was going to go crash the last practice just so I could sing through it once this year. She went with me. We were a little nervous that the group wouldn't be too happy to see us show up at the end, but they were so welcoming to us and encouraged us to come perform it next week. We were a little skeptical, but at the end of the first song we both looked at each other with teary eyes and said, "That's It! We're doing it!"
Unless you have ever sung this oratorio, I can't tell you of the emotions that it makes you feel. It is a time when you can sing with your whole heart, the loudest you can manage, that you KNOW that there is a Savior who came to rescue us from our sins of this life. It is a time to shout, "Hallelujah!" It is a time to know that "Surely, surely, He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." It is almost painful to sing, "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities."
Singing "The Messiah" each year has become my Christmas present to myself. Singing "The Messiah" makes Christmas CHRISTmas for me.
Wish we were closer so that we could come hear you!
ReplyDeleteI love the Messiah and i am sad i can't sing in it with you! I hope you and my mom have fun!
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