My dear friends
Haendel's "Messiah."
What a musical genius!
What a revelation!
For most of us the majestic, triumphant and thunderous
"Hallelujah Chorus" is the climax of this great work. The noble monarch, King
George 1, got the message clearly; before the everlasting King of kings he was but a mere
mortal subject. He stood up to salute the One who would reign for ever and ever!
My first exposure to Haendel's "Messiah" was in
1972 at Dlangezwa High School. It was very moving to listen to the hauntingly beautiful
voice of Gideon "Mario Lanza" Gumbi rise and fall as he sang 'Comfort ye my
people'. Miss Shezi accompanied him on the piano.
In 1976 I feasted on the complete oratorio in my room at
Natal University. A dear couple, Prof and Dr Ross, both medical doctors, kindly lent me
the full LP series. Today, my collection of good music would not have been complete
without Haendel's "Messiah."
I have admiration for our KwaSizabantu Choir which over the
years has learnt most of the choral pieces of the "Messiah." One of the most
memorable performances is the day I happened to be the only bass around as we sang the
"Hallelujah Chorus." It was it in the late 70s; we were younger and more daring!
If you asked me what my favourite piece is I'd be cornered.
'I know that my Reedemer liveth' strikes a special chord with me, but on different
occasions others have captured my imagination as well.
In what has become an annual event the well-known
KwaZulu-Natal conductor, Mr Lutz Kohrs, reserves a day to present Haendel's
"Messiah" to thousands of young people attending the December KwaSizabantu Youth
Conference. This time it was on Sunday 12 December.
Three pieces left me with a lot of reflecting to do.
"The Lord gave the word, great was the
company of the preachers" (Psalms 68:11).
"How beautiful are the feet of them
that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things" (Romans
10:15).
"Their sound is gone out into all
lands, and their words unto the ends of the world" (Romans 10:18).
Allow me to share with you some of the examples, mainly
commercial ones, that flicked past as I pondered on the two choruses and the air.
God presented the world with the best product ever - His
Word!
One of the most successful products I've seen in the last
six years is aQuellé Mineral Water. When the first samples were presented to water
specialists it didn't take them long to discover that what they had before them was a
world class product.
The next step was finding feet that would run with the
message of aQuellé Mineral Water; first in KwaZulu-Natal and then beyond the borders. The
beginning wasn't easy; sales executives thought they had more than enough choices already.
That was until they caught on that aQuellé was unique.
Distributing companies like Neil Witthoeft's Aquabev have
done well beyond expectation because they are running with the winning product. Theirs are
'beautiful feet' as far as aQuellé is concerned.
It's gratifying to see how aQuellé is gaining more and more
ground. Day and night the good product is manufactured, promoted and distributed. I have
no doubt in my mind that the ultimate vision of aQuellé's directors is to see their water
reach the remotest parts of the world.
In the story of aQuellé there are precious lessons for us
as we spread the word about the Lord's water.
The Lord told the Samaritan woman that whoever drank of His
water would never thirst again.
Brilliant Afrikaans politician and author, C J Langenhoven,
was known to have a drinking problem. It's said that one day he commented about the many
people who had a lot to say about his drinking but no one spoke of his thirst.
My own father suffered from a similar thirst to
Langenhoven's. The day He accepted Christ and drank of His water his thirst was quenched.
Of course, there are many other sins, bondages and habits
that our human nature thirsts for and our Saviour is the only one who has the cure for
that.
Christ said that the water of His word cleanses us.
Christians ought to be witnesses of the relief and beauty of
being washed through the power of God's word. There are numerous examples of hardcore
sinners whose faces told the story of their captivity. The day they meet with Christ,
experience forgiveness and cleansing the facial expression changes. The best soaps and
lotions manufactured by leading factories can never perform the wonders seen when the
Lord's cleansing power is at work. In reality, what we see on the outside is a testimony
to what has taken place within.
We are born again through the water of God's word.
Much is spoken about the rebirth of Africa - the African
Renaissance. The aims are noble, speeches are flowery but somehow the ideals are realised
only on paper. The reality is that Africa is plagued amongst others by conflicts,
corruption, diseases and poverty. A change of heart and mentality is what Africa needs if
she is to be born again. As Nichodemus would tell you, only Christ has the power to do
that through His word and Spirit.
Christians need to ask themselves seriously if they are
convinced of the excellent product they have for the Africa that is dying to be reborn.
In the parable of the sower God's word is likened to good
seed that sprouts every time and then lasts or goes lost, depending on the quality of the
soil and related factors.
A seed company with headquarters in Greytown has created for
itself a large following amongst Radio Khwezi listeners. It's knowledgeable and eloquent
representative, Lindinkosi Mchunu, has managed to convince us that unless you make obvious
mistakes you can't go wrong with Pannar seed products.
An interesting point that Lindinkosi often mentions is the
importance of having your soil tested for guidance in the choice of seed, fertilizer etc.
Whatever happens thereafter, you can't point the finger at the seed; it's guaranteed
quality seed.
Isn't it exciting to know that in God's word we have seed
that has a heavenly attested 0% failure rate! When it meets with good, fertile soil the
results are glorious. Where the crop flops we'd better look at various factors excluding
the seed. God's seed is flawless.
Christ's is the word of eternal life.
The wish to live long, and possibly never die, is as old as
mankind itself. Some have crossed oceans and rivers in search of the mysterious fountain
whose water ensures perpetual life. Moses and other men of God remind us that our days are
numbered. Death is one appointment the slowest and the fastest amongst us will not miss.
On that sobering somber note rejoice with me as we affirm
that our Lord assured us that,
"whoever drinks the water I give him
will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)
Wait, listen to these words from the Lord's mouth,
"I am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John
11:25-26)
No wonder that in the moment of great desertion by the
greater body of Christ's disciples, when the Twelve were offered an exit as well Peter
responded,
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)
May that be our firm heartfelt conviction as well!
Again, to you and your dear families, a blessed Christmas
and a Christ-filled New Year.
Pressing on!
In His love
Fano Sibisi
