Leonard Bernstein – The Word of the Lord
This is an excerpt from MASS – the large-scale music theatre work by Leonard Bernstein that was commissioned for the opening of the Kennedy Center.
This movement, “Epistle: The Word of the Lord,” is a reflection on the sovereignty of God and the working of the Holy Spirit to bring justice and shalom to the whole of creation. It calls to mind several portions of scripture, including John 1 (where John identifies Christ as the word – the logos), Genesis 1 (where we see the Spirit hovering over the waters of the deep before creation), and Mary’s words in the Magnificat:
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”
Luke 1:46-55 (King James Version)
The tone; the urgency; and the abiding, settled confidence of the song remind me of “Thanks” from Craig Hella Johnson’s oratorio, Considering Matthew Shepard.
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