Messiah

Messiah, by Georg Frideric Handel, is arguably the most beloved sacred choral work in history.  For over 250 years, musical organizations, churches, and symphonies have presented this oratorio to millions of listeners.   Handel composed Messiah in twenty-four days in the late summer of 1741, beginning on August 22 and completing the work on September 14.  The work traces the story of Christ throughout both the Old and New Testaments and is made up of three parts.  The first contains the Old Testament prophecies of God’s plan of redemption through the coming Messiah.  The second part details the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  And the last deals with the ultimate defeat of death and the final redemption and resurrection of all believers.

For our Sacred Choral Masterworks concert, we will perform two choruses from Messiah: “And the Glory” and “Hallelujah.”  

“And the Glory” is one of the earliest movements in the work and is found in Part One detailing the prophecies of the Messiah.  It’s text is drawn from Isaiah 40:1-5.

Isaiah 40:1-5
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.

 A voice cries: 
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The “Hallelujah” Chorus is perhaps the most well-known choral piece throughout the world.  This triumphant chorus ends the Second Part of Messiah by quoting Revelation 19:6; 11:15: and 19:16.   Tradition has it that during one of the first performances, the English King George II rose to his feet as the chorus began.  Social customs dictated that whenever the monarch stood, everyone else in his or her presence should stand as well.  Thus, the tradition of standing during the performance of the “Hallelujah” Chorus was born. 

Revelation 19:6
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.

Revelation 11:15
 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 19:16
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Great Job Sunday Night!

The Chapel Choir and Chapel Bells did a fantastic job Sunday night.  Thanks for your worship leadership and for being so well behaved in the choir loft during the service.  Click the link to listen to the recording of A Clean Heart.

Don’t forget that your $70 Tour Deposit and Registration Form are due this Sunday, March 1st.  We will also have our second sectional rehearsal with the Sanctuary Choir this coming Sunday.

 

http://www.fbckellerstudentmusic.org/audio/acleanheart.mp3

 

Tour Registration Due on March 1st

The deadline for registering for the Heart of Worship Middle School Tour 2009 is quickly approaching.  Your $50 deposit and registration form are due on Sunday, March 1st.  You can download a copy of the registration form by clicking the Important Forms link on the homepage.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let Stacy Porter or David Toledo know as soon as possible.

Tour Registration Due on March 1st

The deadline for registering for the Raise Up the Crown Chapel Tour 2009 is quickly approaching.  Your $70 deposit and registration form are due on Sunday, March 1st.  You can download a copy of the registration form by clicking the Important Forms link on the homepage.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let David Toledo know as soon as possible.

Baylor Alleluia Conference 2009

The FBC Keller Chapel Choir has the great privilege of being asked to present a concert at the 2009 Baylor Alleluia Conference.  This conference provides training opportunites for church musicians in such areas as conducting, worship leadership, handbell ensembles, instrumental ensembles, piano, and organ.  The Chapel Choir’s concert is sponsored by YouthCue, an international Youth Choir organization that is at the leading edge of student music ministry.  In 2008, the Chapel Choir participated in the Baylor YouthCue Festival.

The Chapel Choir’s concert will be Tuesday, July 21, 2009 from 5:15 – 6:00 p.m.  More details concerning this concert will be available in the coming months.

 Baylor Alleuia 2009 Conference Brochure 

 

David Toledo will also present 3 sessions during the conference concerning Student Music Ministry.

• Session 1: Foundations of Student Music Ministry

  This session will explore the musical, spiritual, emotional, and developmental foundations of a vibrant Student Music Ministry.  There will be special emphasis placed on the role of music in the spiritual formation of teenagers.

• Session 2: Three Phases of Student Music Ministry

  This session focuses on the development of a long-term strategy for Student Music Ministry in the local church.  The three phases of this strategy are (1) starting student ensembles in your church; (2) expanding the musical opportunities for students with new ensembles; and (3) taking the next step with larger ministries. 

• Session 3: Developing Student Leaders and Helping Them Succeed

  There are tremendous opportunities for leadership development within the church’s music ministry to students.  We will examine several methods of leadership development and discuss ways students can use their gifts within the local congregation.

Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace

 One of the most import figures in Christian history was Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226).  Francis was born into a wealthy merchant family in what is now Northern Italy.  After living a reckless youth spent on pleasures and materialism, Francis experienced a spiritual transformation that would have lasting impact on Christian believers from his time to the present.

God began working in his life as Francis spent considerable time in prayer and meditation.  During this process, he developed a great compassion for the poor and neglected members of society.  This heart for the poor would be the ministry call of his life.  He later established the religious order that would eventually bear his name, “The Franciscans.”  Through his efforts, Christians throughout the world became known for their acts of compassion and care for the neglected and downtrodden.

 His poem, “Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace,” is a perfect synopsis of his life of Christian service.  It is a challenging prayer asking God to use the believer to transform the world by displaying the radical love and commitment that Jesus taught and demonstrated throughout his earthly ministry.  It reminds us all that we are to respond to the world differently then unbelievers.

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you,  Do not resist the one who is evil. But a if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,  let him have your cloak as well.  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38 – 42, ESV)

“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39)

“Lord, Make Me An Instrument of Thy Peace”

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light:
Where there is sadness, joy;
And all for thy mercies sake.

O divine master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Sacred Choral Masterworks

On Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 5:30 p.m., the Chapel Choir will join the FBC Keller Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra in presenting Sacred Choral Masterworks, the 16th annual installment of the FBC Keller Guest Composer Concerts.  Over the past fifteen years, FBC Keller has celebrated the music of such composers as Mark Hayes, Tom Fettke, Camp Kirkland, Moses Hogan, and Lloyd Larson.  This year we will perform sacred choral works that form the foundation of our Christian musical heritage, including works from Handel, Haydn, and Beethoven.  This tremendous time of musical celebration will feature over 150 singers and 30 instrumentalists!

Concert Program

Helig - Felix Mendelssohn
“The Heavens are Telling” from The Creation - Franz Josef Haydn
“And the Glory of the Lord” from Messiah - George Friedrich Handel
The Best of Rooms - Randall Thompson
“Hallelujah” from Christ on the Mount of Olives - Ludwig van Beethoven
Lord, Make Me an Instrument - John Rutter
The Mind of Christ - Mark Hayes
“Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah - George Friedrich Handel