This week, Merideth records live from New York City (!) and continues the new Advent Songbook series. The series, which goes live on Mondays on Substack and Fridays on the podcast through the rest of the year, pairs rich examples of Christmas art with devotional reflections and practical spiritual postures to shape this season of waiting and wonder.
Today's installment, "Major prophets and minor chords," explores Handel's Messiah, specifically the very first aria, "Comfort Ye," based on Isaiah 40:1-4. Merideth shares a powerful, personal reflection on how this music broke through a time of professional striving and spiritual distance, reminding her that what makes music great is the same thing that makes God great: persistent nearness, or "Withness." It's an invitation to surrender, not strive, and to listen with the heart.
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