On this day in 1685 composer George Frideric Händel was born.

You may never have heard of Händel, but he was considered in England and by many in Germany as the greatest composer of his day. You probably have heard of the Messiah, however, his best-known work, and its famous climax, “Hallelujah,” usually called the Hallelujah chorus. Every Christmas, throughout the world, church and community choirs perform this magnificent composition. It comes at the end, and usually everyone in the audience stands. It’s more than a tradition. They stand to honor the One about whom the choir is singing: Jesus, the Messiah.

For hundreds of years, the Jewish people were awaiting their deliverer, their Messiah. When Jesus came, he said that Messiah was exactly who he was and that he had come to deliver people from their sins. Usually the name “Jesus” is followed by “Christ”—a Greek word that means “Messiah.”

Jesus was 100 percent God and 100 percent human. That’s what the Bible teaches. He was a human being, just like you, but he lived a perfect life. He faced all the temptations and pressures that humans face, but he didn’t give in and sin. When Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment for our sins on himself, in our place. And then he rose from the dead and now lives. And, as Händel’s Messiah proclaims, “He shall reign forever and ever”!

Many people have claimed to know God and to have the truth. And many have encouraged people to follow them. The Bible calls them “false prophets.” Only one Messiah exists, only one Savior—Jesus. Do you know him?

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

To Do

Get a concordance (that’s a book that lists all the words in the Bible and where to find them), or use an electronic concordance on your computer. Search for the word, “Messiah,” and look up all the verses in the New Testament where it is used.

Also on this day . . .

1836—The siege of the Alamo began.

1874—Walter Winfield patented the game of lawn tennis. He first called the game, “sphairistike.”

1896—Tootsie Roll candies were first sold in stores.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.