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From the Pastor’s Desk:

In the deserts of Arabia, some 4,000 ago the Semite people wandered and
each month they paid homage to the rising of the new moon. As they saw
the first bit of moonlight, they shouted, “Hilal!” which was an expression of
gratitude and celebration. Many, many years later the Hebrew people
passed through the same desert and heard the shout and took it up as a their
shout of praise, not to the moon but for God and God’s many blessings. In their
language, with the sacred name of God, “Yahweh” added to it their praise shout evolved
into “Hallelujah or Alleluia”.
     On a cold winter night in 1741, the old man trudged through the streets of London.
He had seen some fame, but that life of fame seemed all but over. And that lifestyle
had taken its toll on him: he suffered from a stroke that paralyzed his right side and
was fortunate that some time in the hot springs of Aix-la-Chapelle had restored some
use of his right hand and leg. He arrived at his flat that very night and found the text of
a music composition, written by a poet named Charles Jennens. The old man flipped
through the text and one phrase struck him to the core. Suddenly, he could hear in his
mind wondrous melodies, and he began to feverishly pen music to go with the words of
the poem. He composed for 23 straight days. The old physically broken man was
George Federick Handel and the piece he composed is “The Messiah”. The triumphant
climax of the oratorio is the “Hallelujah Chorus”. As he looked at the words and
musical notes he said, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God
himself.”
     May this Easter find us praising God with not only our lips but with our whole lives -
heart, mind, soul and strength.
     Christ is risen!
     He is risen indeed!

Alleluia!
Happy Easter to you and yours,
Pastor Mike

If you know of anyone who would benefit from a pastoral visit or phone call, please let the church office or Pastor Mike know (mbailey@wnccumc.net or (336)829-0157 phone or text). If you would like a visit so that Mike may get to know you and/or your family, don't hesitate to reach out to the church office or to him.