Our Chancel Choir will present Christmas selections from Handel’s “Messiah” during 10:30 a.m. worship on Sunday, Dec. 9.

Joel Johnson will conduct the 52-voice choir and a professional orchestra accompanying the chorus. The performance is free and open to the public. Bring a friend and share the joy of music at Falcon Heights Church! Space is limited, so come early. We will provide early-grade child care and activities in the Gathering Room and preschool care in the Nursery.

The backstory of “Messiah”

“Messiah” has been performed in all sorts of forms and arrangements, both the Christmas portion and the Easter portion. But what’s even more inspiring is the backstory of how Handel came to compose it, and what was going on in his life at the time. (Credit to the version told by Biblical scholar Ben Witherington of Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky.)

In the early 18th century, battles raged in the church over “sacred” and “secular” music. Discouraged by the situation in Italy, Handel moved to Germany and then to England in 1712.

By 1727, he had become a naturalized British citizen and had an up-and-down relationship with King George. This, along with his less-than-stellar business acumen, landed him on the financial rocks several times during his career composing and producing operas.

He had a stroke at 52 in the spring of 1737, which paralyzed his dominant right arm and blurred his vision. He could no longer perform as a keyboardist or conductor. In 1740, he got out of the opera business, depressed and deep in debt.

Handel’s inspiration

Shortly thereafter, he received a libretto of lyrics composed by Charles Jennens. It consisted entirely of portions of Scripture, mostly the Old Testament. It spoke so deeply to Handel that he decided he had to compose an oratorio based on the libretto. There are lots of versions of “Messiah’s” composition story, but all of them agree that he composed it in a very short period during the summer of 1741. He seems to have had a mystical experience when he came to the “Hallelujah” chorus.

That chorus actually is the conclusion of the second (Easter) part of “Messiah.” But it usually concludes performances of the Christmas portion of the oratorio’s first part, as we will hear it on Dec. 9.

When it premiered during Easter 1742, Methodist founder John Wesley was among the first to hear it. H was unimpressed: “There were some parts that were affecting, but I doubt it has staying power,” he was heard to say.

While “Messiah” was not an instant success, it quickly became very popular and was soon seen as a classic. And throughout the rest of his life, Handel kept modifying it to suit the needs of the singers and instrumentalists he was working with. He never foresaw it becoming the most-performed classical work of all time.

 

Women’s Fellowship will host a special program and catered holiday lunch Friday, Dec. 7. The program starts at 10:15 a.m. in the Gathering Room with a short business meeting. Zachary Schroeder will lead us in a program designed to help each of us make the most of our natural personality styles. Zach (Sue and Doug Nelson’s grandson) explains:

“The holidays are just around the corner and with those come the guarantee of one thing. Not stuffing, not turkey or ham, not presents underneath a bedazzled houseplant. No, it’s family drama! Come to Women’s Fellowship where I, as the Nelson prodigal grandson, will lead a workshop in Personality Colors, a system designed by giving intuitive language for distinct personality types to help you navigate the busyness and stress we often put ourselves through during a holiday season. It is simpler than Myers-Briggs or the Enneagram, so come, bring a friend (or even two two) for an affirming and rip-roaring good time.”

Since Nov. 20 is International Transgender Day of Remembrance, we will mark TDOR in our Nov. 18 worship service.

TDOR began in the late 1990s to commemorate the life of an African-American trans woman named Rita Hester who was brutally murdered in Boston in 1998. Her death came just weeks after the murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming had roused a huge discussion on hate crimes against gay people, yet Rita’s murder garnered no such response. Her murder and the lack of media attention to her death drove a candlelight vigil to begin in San Francisco the next year.

While we acknowledge that violence happens for many unjust reasons, on Trans Day of Remembrance we honor the lives of those who were victims of violence because of their gender identity and gender expression. Due to the widespread ignorance and erasure of the experiences of trans people, this day is an important opportunity for us to intentionally bear witness to the hardships of the trans community.

The Nov. 18 service will also celebrate the gifts that trans and non-binary people are in the family of God, and look forward to the day when equal rights and safety come to their lives.

On All Saints Sunday, Nov. 4, you are invited to bring a photo or memento of someone who is a saint in your life.

This may be a loved one who has passed away, a friend who shows support, or an international leader who has inspired you.

We will include saints who have gone before us and saints who are living examples to us today. We will be sharing our saints with each other during Open Space during Nov. 4 worship.

St. Anthony Park UCC is hosting four free workshops to help parents of teenagers with “The Talk.” They have invited parents from Falcon Heights Church to take part. You’ll get tips on how to start these conversations about gender, consent, online safety and more.

The series is a springboard for the Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality and faith training for 10th through 12th graders. The two churches are hoping to get a cohort of young UCCers to go through OWL beginning in 2019. Please consider your teens’ involvement and come to these informative sessions.

• When: Sundays, Sept. 23 and 30 and Oct. 7 and 14, from 3 to 5 p.m.
• Where: St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, 2129 Commonwealth Ave., St. Paul, in the church’s downstairs
  Childcare provided

Family Tree Clinic and SAPUCC are partnering to bring this event to the neighborhood. Parents who attend all four sessions receive a $25 gift card. Every parent also gets resources. Please RSVP to [email protected].

If you know of other families who might benefit from this free introductory event, please share this announcement with them. Questions? Talk to Rev. Rick.