13^th April, 1742! It seems a long time ago doesn't it. It is the date of the first performance of Handel’s Messiah. As you know, the work was famously premiered in Dublin and it came up in conversation only a few days ago. We were wondering where exactly it was first heard, and it’s only when you look up these things do you remember.

It was premiered as part of a series of charity concerts in Neal’s Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin’s Temple Bar District. Handel himself led the performance from the harpsichord, and a famous Dublin musician, Matthew Dubourg, actually conducted. So, it was a benefit performance “for the relief of Prisoners in the several Gaol’s, and for the support of Mercer’s Hospital in Stephen Street, and of the Charitable Infirmary on Inn’s Quay”. Jonathan Swift was the Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral at the time, and he wanted any revenue to go to local hospitals for the mentally ill. I think there are stories of Swift actually cancelling the performance, or trying to. But it all fits with Swift’s dedication to the mentally ill, because he founded the huge hospital near Houston Station, I think he called it St. Patrick’s, and his comment at the time was something along the lines that a city never needed such a hospital so badly.

Anyway, this is all just background information, and the point I was going to make about Handel’s Messiah is that it is an oratorio, probably Handel’s most famous piece of music, set to the libretto, the text of a Mr. Charles Jennens. It took Handel just 24 days. Practically every word of Jennens is quoted directly from the King James Bible, and most of that is from the Old Testament. There are the well-known New Testament quotes, but the large part of the text is not only from the Old Testament, but specifically from the Book of Isaiah. In light of Isaiah’s stress of freeing prisoners, and binding up the wounds of the sick, Isaiah no doubt would have been pleased with this work being associated with such charities, as we’ve mentioned: a major piece of work, entitled ‘Messiah’ and it practically all comes from the Book of Isaiah.

I couldn’t help looking up the Isaiah reading for this morning which got me on to this tack. According to a Biblicist, Merrill Unger, “Isaiah...is the greatest of the Hebrew prophets and orators. For splendour of diction, brilliance of imagery, versatility and beauty of style, he is unequalled.”

I think this just adds to my old argument that within the Old Testament, we already have all that we need. Jesus’ Bible, Jesus’ message, was, of course, the Hebrew Scriptures; Jesus quoted from it extensively. I believe it is vital that the Hebrew Scriptures are included in our Christian Bible; Jesus himself did not want to do away with a word of it, or change it any way. It was after his ministry and his teaching, and what we believed he accomplished, did we see the words of such prophets as Isaiah in the light of the life and works of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah himself

I’m sure most of us have a great respect for Jewish tradition. We find there a wealth of teaching and understanding of who God is. Without it, the Christian Church would be rudderless, or perhaps it’s more like the keel of a great ship which helps to keep the Church upright and on course. What is fascinating among Jewish believers is the Messianic Jew - those who remain Jewish, by tradition and faith, but who believe that Jesus indeed is the Christ, the Messiah.

Luke’s reading this morning mainly refers to what the Church calls the Second Coming of Christ, the perousia. The Jewish tradition, of course, believes the coming of the Messiah is yet to be. And I wonder is there really a great difference between believing in the Messiah coming to this world a first time or a second time. There’s a question for all our clergy in the congregation!

With the imminent visit of Pope Benedict, I’m sure there’ll be a lot of talk about Church doctrine and all the rest. I’ve an article on my desk about the recent Vatican document concerning the ordination of women! Perhaps that’s for another time, but I think it presents yet another rocky road ahead. I caught the end of a news article the other day about a priest who was saddened at how few are travelling to Britain to see the Pope.

One of our favourite Pope’s has to be Pope John 23^rd. He instigated the Second Vatican Council in the sixties and sadly he died just before it was complete. Humour has always a part to play and when Pope John was once asked by a reporter (and you know this one), how many people work in the Vatican, he allegedly replied, “About half of them!”

But more relevant to what we’re talking about this morning, Pope John, on another occasion was asked by the media, what would he tell the church to do today if he knew that Christ’s return was to occur tomorrow. He smiled and answered, “Look busy!”

The second coming of the Messiah is something which is deeply enshrined in Scripture and in our belief system. It’s not something to be fearful of and it’s not something which should be used to bully people in to believing. It’s not a threat to hang over people lives, as I’ve heard it done so many times – if death itself didn’t put the fear of God into you, then the Second Coming would! And the question would be asked, what will you be found doing when he comes in the twinkling of an eye?

I have quoted before Oscar Cullman who says that we are people who are living between the times. In his analogy, Cullman makes the point that in every war, there is often a decisive battle that determines the final victor. D-day was such an occasion in World War Two. After D-Day, there was no question about the final outcome of the war. Even more people would die after D-Day that before it; there would be more suffering and more heartache, and it would not be until VE-Day that victory was assured. Cullman says God’s D-day was Calvary. Victory is now assured, and there will be pain and suffering, but we’re not there yet. God’s V-Day is yet to come. But even as we struggle, we do so as people of hope, knowing that the decisive battle has been won. We are people living between the times, between God’s D-Day and God’s final Victory Day. God’s V-day is not something to fear, but something to be welcomed and to look forward to with great anticipation and with great hope.