Preach Magazine Issue 4 - Preaching in the digital age | Page 47

COLUMN

COLUMNIST

47

DAVID HULL

Go into all the world
In these columns, I have been reflecting on biblical texts
from Handel’s famous Messiah. As, in this issue of Preach,
we are considering the theme of preaching and new
media, two texts come to mind: ‘The Lord gave the word:
great was the company of the preachers’ (Psalm 68:11)
and ‘Their sound is gone out into all lands: and their
words into the ends of the world’ (Psalm 19:4, both from
the Book of Common Prayer. If the music doesn’t come to
mind immediately, a quick search of YouTube will lead you
to recordings which are instantly available).

I

n the first chorus, Handel depicts
a great procession of preachers
being sent out by their ascended
Lord. As a trumpet-like fanfare
sounds, they go running into all
the world with great excitement
and expectation. In the simpler
second chorus, Handel celebrates
the spread of the gospel. There is
growing excitement as countless
messengers are sent out on their
missionary journeys, carrying the
message of the gospel even to the
ends of the world.

In an age of questioning and doubt,
Handel was able to restate the great
message of the gospel through the
extraordinary popularity of his
Messiah. Because he applied his
considerable talents in the service
of the gospel, that message has
continued to be sounded through
his music throughout the following
generations.
There have been key moments
throughout history that have
revolutionised the proclamation
of the gospel message, most
importantly of course the day of
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was

poured out upon the Church and
the apostles began their preaching
ministries. The invention of the
printing press in the mid fifteenth
century was another revolutionary
moment, making possible the mass
production and distribution of books
for the first time.
William Tyndale ushered in another
revolutionary age when he began
the translation and distribut