Tuesday - February 25, 2025

SCRIPTURE I Corinthians 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. I Corinthians WORDS OF HOPE For seven years, I was a part of the Bethany Oratorio Society, a group of musicians that has performed Handel’s Messiah on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday since 1882 and Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion on Good Friday since 1929. This group of Kansas town folk, high school and college students, college faculty and hired soloists have kept this tradition alive for nearly 150 years. During my time in the Society, I was under the direction of Elmer Copley, a towering man of intellect, musical talent, and pastoral care. He directed the 400 voices, the master organist, and the orchestra with precision and passion. In the third part of Handel’s Messiah is sung Since By Man Came Death, a recitation of 1 Corinthians 15:21-22. Taking the librettist’s cue, the chorus starts in A minor and it sounds like a funeral hymn, singing of Adam’s fall and our mortality. Then suddenly, it switches to C major and is sung like a victory shout, singing of the resurrection through Christ. This is done twice for each of the two Biblical verses. Those two verses by Paul, combined with Handel's musical brilliance, powerfully proclaim a theology of resurrection. I recall how Professor Copley insisted that in the funeral sections of the song, we were to sing a hard letter “D” for the words “dead” and “die”. And we sang those words sforzando, meaning with a sudden strong emphasis. He wanted the audience to understand the sudden and vicious nature of death and how helpless we are to its power. He equally insisted that we should sing the victorious sections of the song with musical cheer and volume. The words “by man came also the resurrection” and “we shall all be made alive” are not to be sung timidly or clinically, but with the joy of knowing that in Christ we are alive. Juxtaposing death and resurrection twice, Handel musically switches back and forth between these two extremes. Going from Grave tempo, a cappella singing and complex harmonies in A minor to an Allegro tempo, with full orchestra and a simple harmony in C major. When space provides, give a listen to this chorus from the third part of Messiah, hearing the preaching of St. Paul, George Fredrick Handel, and Dr. Elmer Copley. Hear the finality of death and the joy of resurrection. Know the fall of Adam and the risen Christ. Feel the finality of grave and the celebration of the empty tomb. And if you sing along, don’t forget the hard “D”s and sforzando volume! PRAYER Lord God, thank you for the promise that in Christ, all will be made alive. Help me to live my life in a way that honors you and reflects the resurrection of Christ to those around me. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Thomas Riggs