Issue 03 Preaching and the Holy SpiritBlog | Make yourself comfortable!
Make yourself comfortable!
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 09.06.15
In these columns, I’ve been reflecting on some of the Biblical texts set to music by GF Handel in his great oratorio, Messiah. In this issue, I have chosen the opening text: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned’ (Isaiah 40:1–2 KJV).
It’s striking that the very first words the audience hear after the orchestra’s overture are, ‘Comfort ye’. Perhaps that was what Handel and his librettist Charles Jennens, who compiled the texts, wanted the overwhelming message of the oratorio to be: one of great comfort.
Comfort is a central theme of the prophet Isaiah, who spoke to the people of Israel during the dark days of exile: ‘Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people
