Sur-e-ly

It is amazing to me just how much scripture i have learned from singing over the years. It is my absolute FAVORITE way of learning text. I miss choral singing a lot, but what truly amazes about the situation is that I think about these songs allllllllll the time.
I have been a little down-trodden recently and bits of Part 2 of the Messiah keep coming into my brain. Specifically the part taken from this scripture:

Isaiah 53:3-5 (King James Version)

King James Version (KJV)

3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

I pulled it from KJV because that is the closest to what Handel uses. Plus, I realized that the KJV is what most of the scripture I have memorized through choral singing comes from... it is so poetically arranged already.
I just really like choral classical music. I like a lot of other things too... but there will always be a super special place in my hear for that music no matter what. It gives me a lot of hope and i feel as if I am part of the communion of saints when i am part of choral singing... or even when i just enjoy it.

We went to go see a reading of Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw's new book Jesus for President the other night and the presentation was fantastic. It was a multi-sensory event and I really enjoyed it. I have other thoughts on this subject and maybe I will put those here at another date and time. During the singing I recognized so many old hymns and was completely blown away by how much I knew just by listening as they were including gospel songs.
hmmm.
I wish I could remember the one that we sang that i realized was so familiar.
B