The Messiah

My father, Ted Woolley, has sung George Fredrich Handel’s Messiah with the Oratorio Society of Utah for 21 years. When I turned 8 years old, in 1993, I went to listen to him perform in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. I got to stay up past my bedtime, get dressed in my fanciest 90’s dress and puff coat, and drive with my mom and dad to temple square. My dad had rehearsal, so my mom and I had an hour to walk around and eat. We walked across the street to ZCMI–a big department store where the candy windows are currently on Main Street. They had a cafe and candy shop in the basement. We ordered a thick slice of white bread with a slice of cheddar cheese melted on top. Then my mom let me pick out some bulk candy from the bins and the worker placed the candies in a little plastic bag. My mom had me save the bag of candy for the Messiah performance. We must have decided we liked the raspberry jujus (gummies) the most, because each year after that we returned to ZCMI for those. For the next 6 years we prepared for Handel’s Messiah the exact same way and included any of my siblings who were 8 or older. This became a beloved event. 

We have been asked to “Prepare…the way of the Lord…for His coming is nigh.”1 Preparing for exciting events is truly what makes the events so special. Christmas wouldn’t be magical if there was no prior preparation. No decorations, no fancy food, no gifts wrapped under the tree, no caroling, no stockings hung by the chimney with care, no hot chocolate, etc. All the wonder of Christmas is built in the preparation and anticipation for it. And that’s true for much more than Christmas. A vacation is not a vacation unless someone plans and prepares where to stay, what to see, the route to get there, etc. A football game would be meh without practice, game plays, uniforms, a field, etc. Preparation is essential for a successful event.

Christ is coming to earth again. “A necessary prelude to that Second Coming is the long-awaited gathering of scattered Israel….. ‘I give unto you a sign…that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people.’’ 2 We do this by gathering God’s elect on both sides of the veil. When we go to the temple, serve missions, do family history, we are literally participating in the prelude–the first few pages of a book–of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! 

As we anticipate and prepare for the excitement of Christmas this season, I am going to help those I love draw parallels between Christmas and the excitement of the return to earth of our Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace!

P.S. The Oratorio Society of Utah still performs Handel’s Messiah each year. Information for this year: Saturday December 13th 7:00 PM Cottonwood Presbyterian Church 1580 Vine Street, Murray. Sunday December 14th 7:00 PM Libby Gardner Hall 1395 Presidents Cir, UofU, SLC. Cost: Free. First come first seated. We still attend with candy in hand :)

Written by Kenzi Woolley Airmet Turner -  Primary

1. Doctrine and Covenants 133:17

2. “⁠The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming⁠” (⁠Liahona⁠, Apr. 2020, 6–11).