Happy Friday church family!

“’Comfort ye – Comfort ye my people!’ saith your God.” I have had this song of Handel’s Messiah on repeat in my head as I have been reading various scriptures in preparation for this week’s message. A few days ago, I came upon Isaiah 40 – from whose text the librettist and Handel set the opening three movements (other than an instrumental introduction) of his masterwork Messiah. This has been a favorite piece for me ever since we performed the Messiah my first term at BSU.

It has struck me in recent times how the opening words of the Messiah are of comfort. This passage in Isaiah is written to the southern kingdom Judah after the northern kingdom of Israel had been taken over by the Assyrians, and it looks toward Judah’s own captivity in Babylon. At the same time, these chapters give us a beautiful look at the suffering servant Messiah who would save. And it opens with the command “Comfort my people!” for their salvation is coming!

Handel himself desperately needed comfort at the time of writing. He was in financial ruin – facing the possibility of debtor’s prison – and hearing loud public criticism following a series of musical flops. His friend gave him this libretto to set, and he famously finished the Messiah in 24 days in the Fall of 1741.

I read an analysis on Handel’s Messiah that the libretto consists of 73 scriptural passages – 42 from the old testament and 31 from the new, and they all point to Jesus as THE Messiah. Sounds like Matthew! Writing with the focus of demonstrating how Jesus fulfilled the promises and prophecies and that He is worthy of our faith and trust.

In these days of struggle and uncertainty – I urge you to seek comfort in the Lord. He is the only certainty, the only sure foundation – our stronghold in which we can trust.

-- In faith, Pastor Eric

“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1-2 NIV