Comforter, 30 November 2025
30 11 25 Filed in: Sermons | Handel's Messiah
Comforter
Handel’s Messiah
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
November 30, 2025
Isaiah 40:1-5
Series Big Idea: Handel’s Messiah may be the greatest work of music ever created, bringing praise and glory to the Creator.
Big Idea: The Messiah is our comforter.
Advent Theme: Hope
The holidays are here again! Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, December begins tomorrow, and the season of Advent has officially begun. Some say this is the most wonderful time of the year. For others, it’s a challenging season for any number of reasons. Though we usually use the word “Christmas” to describe the next several weeks, the word “Advent” is becoming increasingly popular, perhaps because of the proliferation of advent calendars.
Advent is all about arrival. For hundreds of years, prophets spoke of a coming Messiah, the promised deliverer of the Jews. This season celebrates His arrival about two thousand years ago while we anticipate the return of the King—his second arrival—any day now!
Jesus has been called many names—from profanity to royalty—and during this Advent season we are going to explore many titles and roles of the Messiah who is, who was, and who will return soon.
The date was Saturday, December 3, 2011. My wife, Heather, and I were seated in Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium, and it was there that we experienced Messiah for the first time. I knew the Hallelujah Chorus and was familiar with many of the other songs, but what struck me was the lyrics. They are all taken directly from the Bible.
Many years ago I had the idea of preaching through the songs of Messiah and we will start today! Handel’s Messiah has three parts, the first of which covers the themes of Christmastime, the arrival of Jesus to our planet. The second and third parts deal with Holy Week, the death and resurrection of Jesus which we’ll revisit when Easter approaches.
Messiah is likely the most heard, sung, and recorded piece of classical music on earth. Handel wrote the 260 pages of music in just 24 days, a work that spans three hours and includes nine-piece orchestra, choir, and soloists. The words were assembled by Handel’s friend Charles Jennens who used the 1662 Anglican Book of Common Prayer as a guide. There are eighty verses of scripture in the libretto, only ten from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The majority of the text is ancient prophecy predicting details about the coming of Christ. There are over 100 Old Testament prophecies uniquely fulfilled by the Messiah!
Messiah premiered in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742, and later was performed in London. It made its U.S. debut in 1818 at Boylston Hall in Boston.
Messiah begins with three songs from Isaiah 40:1-5. I want to share samples of them with you today. But first, a bit of context.
Isaiah is a prophet who wrote the book that bears his name around 700 BC. The people of Israel were struggling under the expansion of the Assyrian empire. Like much of the Jewish Bible—the Old Testament—themes of God’s salvation and judgment abound. God goes to extraordinary lengths to show his love for humanity, we turn away from Him, and things go south!
As Isaiah’s writing, God’s people are in bad shape.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1, NIV)
Whenever you see something repeated in scripture, take notice. Ancient scrolls and languages did not have bold, italics, or different colors to get our attention. They had to literally spell it out! God tells His people they will be comforted amid their bondage. Deliverance is coming, and it came most profoundly about 700 years later in the first coming of the Messiah.
I realize some of you may not be fans of classical music…yet! In 1990, a group of Christian singers and musicians came together for an updated version of Messiah, simply called Handel’s Young Messiah.
Strangely, three years later, The New Young Messiah was released with a different group of artists.
My favorite recording of this music is 1992’s Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. Quincy Jones brought together an all-star cast of gospel and R&B artists ranging from Take 6 and Dianne Reeves to Patti Austin, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau and the Richard Smallwood Singers.
Jesus brings comfort to our lives, whatever the circumstances. He is present through the Holy Spirit in every believer. Do you need comfort today? Call out to Jesus.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2, NIV)
Jerusalem had been held captive for seventy years. The trial was the result of their sin, but that is coming to an end. Now Isaiah speaks of John the Baptist, a New Testament figure who will come on the seen about 700 years later.
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3, NIV)
This is a vivid description of John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus.
Verse 4…
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. (Isaiah 40:4, NIV)
Raising and lowering was a metaphor for preparing a road for a dignitary. We might call this today, “Rolling out the red carpet.” Get ready for the Messiah, people! Isaiah said it then about the first arrival. We can proclaim it today as the return of Christ is near.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:5, NIV)
I want God’s glory to be the bottom line of my life. During suffering, Isaiah declared God’s glory would be revealed. These days, it seems like nobody is paying attention to the LORD God Almighty…but just you wait!
So What?
Today, we wait for the return, the second arrival of Jesus.
He’s coming soon. He promised! Are you ready? Do you know him? He’s the reason we’re here!
Actually, God is with us…now! The Holy Spirit is here until Jesus returns. Sure, you can’t touch the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t diminish the power or reality of the One who is at work making us more like Christ, preparing us for the Messiah’s promised return, filling us with gifts and fruit, and bringing comfort to us in our dark days.
I want to encourage all of you to experience Handel’s Messiah, too. You can attend a live performance, stream the songs, watch video performances, visit websites about the musical masterpiece, or just show up next Sunday as we continue the series.
My prayer is that this season we would center ourselves on Jesus the Messiah. Rather than giving into fear, we can experience the Prince of Peace, the God of comfort. Instead of focusing on wish lists and credit cards, let’s remember what Christmas is all about, a King born in Bethlehem who will return soon and he shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah!
Handel’s Messiah
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
November 30, 2025
Isaiah 40:1-5
Series Big Idea: Handel’s Messiah may be the greatest work of music ever created, bringing praise and glory to the Creator.
Big Idea: The Messiah is our comforter.
Advent Theme: Hope
The holidays are here again! Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, December begins tomorrow, and the season of Advent has officially begun. Some say this is the most wonderful time of the year. For others, it’s a challenging season for any number of reasons. Though we usually use the word “Christmas” to describe the next several weeks, the word “Advent” is becoming increasingly popular, perhaps because of the proliferation of advent calendars.
Advent is all about arrival. For hundreds of years, prophets spoke of a coming Messiah, the promised deliverer of the Jews. This season celebrates His arrival about two thousand years ago while we anticipate the return of the King—his second arrival—any day now!
Jesus has been called many names—from profanity to royalty—and during this Advent season we are going to explore many titles and roles of the Messiah who is, who was, and who will return soon.
The date was Saturday, December 3, 2011. My wife, Heather, and I were seated in Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium, and it was there that we experienced Messiah for the first time. I knew the Hallelujah Chorus and was familiar with many of the other songs, but what struck me was the lyrics. They are all taken directly from the Bible.
Many years ago I had the idea of preaching through the songs of Messiah and we will start today! Handel’s Messiah has three parts, the first of which covers the themes of Christmastime, the arrival of Jesus to our planet. The second and third parts deal with Holy Week, the death and resurrection of Jesus which we’ll revisit when Easter approaches.
Messiah is likely the most heard, sung, and recorded piece of classical music on earth. Handel wrote the 260 pages of music in just 24 days, a work that spans three hours and includes nine-piece orchestra, choir, and soloists. The words were assembled by Handel’s friend Charles Jennens who used the 1662 Anglican Book of Common Prayer as a guide. There are eighty verses of scripture in the libretto, only ten from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The majority of the text is ancient prophecy predicting details about the coming of Christ. There are over 100 Old Testament prophecies uniquely fulfilled by the Messiah!
Messiah premiered in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742, and later was performed in London. It made its U.S. debut in 1818 at Boylston Hall in Boston.
Messiah begins with three songs from Isaiah 40:1-5. I want to share samples of them with you today. But first, a bit of context.
Isaiah is a prophet who wrote the book that bears his name around 700 BC. The people of Israel were struggling under the expansion of the Assyrian empire. Like much of the Jewish Bible—the Old Testament—themes of God’s salvation and judgment abound. God goes to extraordinary lengths to show his love for humanity, we turn away from Him, and things go south!
As Isaiah’s writing, God’s people are in bad shape.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1, NIV)
Whenever you see something repeated in scripture, take notice. Ancient scrolls and languages did not have bold, italics, or different colors to get our attention. They had to literally spell it out! God tells His people they will be comforted amid their bondage. Deliverance is coming, and it came most profoundly about 700 years later in the first coming of the Messiah.
I realize some of you may not be fans of classical music…yet! In 1990, a group of Christian singers and musicians came together for an updated version of Messiah, simply called Handel’s Young Messiah.
Strangely, three years later, The New Young Messiah was released with a different group of artists.
My favorite recording of this music is 1992’s Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. Quincy Jones brought together an all-star cast of gospel and R&B artists ranging from Take 6 and Dianne Reeves to Patti Austin, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau and the Richard Smallwood Singers.
Jesus brings comfort to our lives, whatever the circumstances. He is present through the Holy Spirit in every believer. Do you need comfort today? Call out to Jesus.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2, NIV)
Jerusalem had been held captive for seventy years. The trial was the result of their sin, but that is coming to an end. Now Isaiah speaks of John the Baptist, a New Testament figure who will come on the seen about 700 years later.
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3, NIV)
This is a vivid description of John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus.
Verse 4…
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. (Isaiah 40:4, NIV)
Raising and lowering was a metaphor for preparing a road for a dignitary. We might call this today, “Rolling out the red carpet.” Get ready for the Messiah, people! Isaiah said it then about the first arrival. We can proclaim it today as the return of Christ is near.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:5, NIV)
I want God’s glory to be the bottom line of my life. During suffering, Isaiah declared God’s glory would be revealed. These days, it seems like nobody is paying attention to the LORD God Almighty…but just you wait!
So What?
Today, we wait for the return, the second arrival of Jesus.
He’s coming soon. He promised! Are you ready? Do you know him? He’s the reason we’re here!
Actually, God is with us…now! The Holy Spirit is here until Jesus returns. Sure, you can’t touch the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t diminish the power or reality of the One who is at work making us more like Christ, preparing us for the Messiah’s promised return, filling us with gifts and fruit, and bringing comfort to us in our dark days.
I want to encourage all of you to experience Handel’s Messiah, too. You can attend a live performance, stream the songs, watch video performances, visit websites about the musical masterpiece, or just show up next Sunday as we continue the series.
My prayer is that this season we would center ourselves on Jesus the Messiah. Rather than giving into fear, we can experience the Prince of Peace, the God of comfort. Instead of focusing on wish lists and credit cards, let’s remember what Christmas is all about, a King born in Bethlehem who will return soon and he shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah!