Forty Days With The Messiah: Day-by-day reflections on the words of Handel's oratorio
Author: David Winter
Publisher: Abingdon Press
138 pages, including: Forward by Simon Over, Introduction, eight sections, and Notes For Group Study
Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
David Winter, at the time of publishing this volume, was a priest in the diocese of Oxford and the author of What's in a Word: 40 Words of Jesus for the 40 Days of Lent, also published by Abingdon Press.
As the title suggests, this volume is a devotional-meditative work based on G.F. Handel's Messiah.
According to Simon Over, Messiah was often revised by Handel to suite a variety of circumstances.
The oratorio's text--compiled by Handel and Charles Jennens--is comprised of many Hebrew Bible prophetic passages and New Testament passages of the King James Version of the Bible, and passages from the Psalter of the Book of Common Prayer.
One of the concerns of the author is that many people are very familiar with Messiah, and that familiarity may lead to taking the words too much for granted, without appreciating their significance for our faith. Hence Winter endeavours to provide important information about the biblical contexts of the passages; as well as unpack meanings of a few Hebrew and Greek words.
The section titles are: The Coming Messiah: Promise And Warning, The Birth Of Messiah, The Life Of The Messiah, The Suffering Messiah, The Risen Messiah, The Messiah King, Life Through The Messiah, and The Triumph Of The Messiah.
The volume can be read by sections or as daily devotions; alone or with family members; and along with listening to the music. It could also be a resource for groups.
According to Winter: "The text of Messiah is a finely constructed piece of biblical interpretation, bringing together prophecy, narrative, worship, and praise to create an integrated picture of the whole scheme of redemption" (p.10).
Although some of the devotions are quite inspirational and insightful; I would have appreciated it if the author and/or publisher of this volume had employed inclusive language. A bit more information on Handel, and the context surrounding the composition of Messiah would also have been appreciated by this reviewer.
