Last month, Vallejo International sang in the annual “Music Fest” of the Global Fellowship of Filipino Churches (GFFC). Each participating church presented two musical selections. For one of our selections, we ambitiously decided to sing the majestic “Hallelujah” chorus from G. F. Handel’s “Messiah.” I believe we did a pretty decent rendition of the classic piece. Of course, we do not fancy ourselves as accomplished singers with superb technical skill. But the grandness of the music and the power of the lyrics were enough to lift our spirits, and cause us to sing from our hearts.
The response of the gathered believers was quite enthusiastic. Yet, even as I was delighted by the response, I was also disheartened. I realized that most of the people present had no idea of the significance in church history of the music we had just sung. It appears many were totally unfamiliar with Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus. For centuries now, it had become a tradition for the audience to stand up every time the “Hallelujah” chorus was sung. But it did not happen that day (only a handful stood up).
This got me to thinking about the matter of passing on of worthwhile traditions to future generations. Handel composed “Messiah” in 1741. And down through the centuries his music provided spiritual inspiration to its listeners. The grandeur of the lyrics is a most adequate testimony to the majesty of the God that is praised. But is it in danger of being lost in the generations to come?
Scripture testifies to the importance of passing on the faith and its worthy traditions to others. It is not the mindless transference of ideas and practices, but the handing over of the truth of God’s revelation with precision and passion. The book of Psalms, for one, is a collection of faith traditions. Consider these declarations: “I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations” (Psalm 89.1 NIV). “We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done” (Psalm 78.4 NIV).
The apostle Paul prefaces his summary of the gospel of Jesus to the Corinthian church with these words: “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me” (1 Corinthians 15.3 NLT). And he instructs the young pastor Timothy: “Pass on to reliable people what you have heard from me through many witnesses so that they in turn will be able to teach others” (2 Timothy 2.2 NJB).
Pass it on!
–Keith Y. Jainga