Messiah-the Greatest Sermon Ever Sung: Some Initial Thoughts

One of the goals and purposes for Bread for Beggars is to encourage the endeavors of Christian artists (especially those belonging to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). Several times over the past year, followers of Bread for Beggars have encouraged us to take a look at the work Messiah–the Greatest Sermon Ever Sung written by Messiah aficionado Pastor Anthony Pittenger and illustrated by Mr. Jonathan P. Mayer.

As simply as I can put it, I should have listened to their encouragement to pick up a copy sooner. The book could be classified as a Bible study, coffee table conversation piece, readers guide or music appreciation. However you categorize it, it is a beautiful and edifying piece of art that complements Messiah making this timeless message even more accessible to listeners both old and new.

The helpful Messiah history and detailed explanations of the text of Messiah provided by Pastor Pittenger make this resource one that can easily be used both by individuals and small groups. (I suppose you could use it with a large group, but everyone in the group ought to have a copy in front of them to get the full experience). The book is designed to be broken up into either four or six segments or studies.

Although the study notes provided are extremely helpful in appreciating the true depth of Messiah, I have to admit that the highlight of the book for me is the illustrations which are astonishing. (Note: As amazing as they look on the computer screen they are even more magnificent to behold in print.) My children love paging through, as I tell them about each picture.

I have rambled on long enough and Pastor Pittenger does a much better job explaining his labor of than I am ever possibly going to be able to do, so I will let him tell you about his labor of love.

I fell in love with Messiah by accident. Going about my college studies, I wanted background music that would be so boring as to not distract me while I worked. I purchased a Messiah CD and tried, unsuccessfully, to focus on my homework. Baptized into the Christian faith and raised in the Church, I was hearing the story of my salvation being sung. Thus began a love affair that has gone on for twenty-some years now. As this love affair matured and grew, so did a desire to share what I was hearing. This book is my very humble attempt at doing just that: sharing the story of salvation as it is sung in Handel’s Messiah…

…Much has happened, both without and within, since those idyllic days in my dorm room. Without, my nation has been viciously attacked by terrorists, and because of that many of my friends and family members have been called to take up arms for my protection. The economic boom of my college and seminary days has been replaced by financial straits that my generation has never seen. Within, death has forced me to say goodbye to a child, my father-in-law, grandparents, and many close friends. Invariably, almost instinctively, I have returned to Messiah.

The biblical texts paired with Handel’s music have strengthened me when weak and comforted me when afraid. That story of certain hope that unfolds in Messiah has dried many tears, and continues to make me long for the place reserved for me, where in perfect pitch I shall join with angels and archangels and with all the company in heaven, singing: “Blessing and honour, glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”

In addition illustrator Jonathan P. Mayer writes:

My hope is that this books and its illustrations serve to give its readers not only a greater appreciation of the art of Handel’s masterpiece, but to grant them a deeper understanding of Christ and his tremendous love for us.”

Jonathan would be pleased to know that his hope has been realized by at least one reader/listener.

It probably sounds a bit cliché, but listening to Messiah with this book in front of me was truly like meeting an old friend again for the first time. (I was going to say, “Reading this book was like kissing my wife again for the first time”, but I realized that was a confusing analogy…at best. And no… if you are wondering…you are not allowed to kiss my wife to see if the statement is true for you too…)

I have not yet sat down to work slowly through the entirety of this work myself, but I am going to remedy that tonight by grabbing a cup of hot cocoa, my wife (yes the one with the great first kiss), an I-pad to play Messiah and my copy of Messiah–the Greatest Sermon Ever Sung.

Why don’t you join me? You can purchase your very own copy of Messiah–the Greatest Sermon Ever Sung exclusively on Facebook by clicking HERE!

As the listening companion to his book, Pastor Pittenger recommends the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford recording directed by Christopher Hogwood, which can be purchased as a CD or MP3 HERE! You will most definitely want to listen to the music as you read to get the full benefit of Messiah–the Greatest Sermon Ever Sung.

The only real negative thing I have to say is it can be difficult to figure out how to buy this book on the Facebook page. Once you are on the page click on “SHOP” and then click on the book itself and it will give you the option of adding to “BAG” and from there you should be able to figure it out.

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Some more thoughts!

Oh how I would have loved to have been there for that first public performance of Messiah.

The conductor raised his baton and a hush fell over the 700 people packed into Neal’s Music Hall. They didn’t want to miss a single note or syllable of the performance they were about to experience. And they weren’t disappointed. After a three minute overture, a clear tenor voice rang out through the hall, resonating words that still touch hearts today—“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people!”

271 years have passed since Georg Frederic Handel’s Messiah debuted in that music hall in Dublin, Ireland. Messiah has thrilled audiences ever since. In fact, for some people attending a performance of Messiah is as much a part of Christmas as stringing up lights, decorating a tree, or exchanging presents.

It’s been 271 years and if the Lord allows another 271 years to pass, people will likely still be attending Messiah, but it’s not just the music that draws them in. Yes, Handel’s score indeed contains some of the most moving music ever recorded. As he paints the sacred texts with string and brass one is transported thousands of years back it time.

Yet the true greatness of Messiah is the text drawn directly from Scripture. That is what touches hearts. That is what strengthens troubled spirits. And that is what Pastor Tony Pittenger’s  work Messiah–the Greatest Sermon Ever Sung is all about. His book helps one see that Messiah is more than just a favorite way to hear the Christmas story; it is the whole story: the story of our sin, the story of our salvation and the story of our Savior, THE MESSIAH!

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