Handel's Messiah, composed in 1741 and first performed in 1742, has a timeless devotional beauty about it that few could dispute and much meticulous work has been done to provide accurate, clearly printed performing material which remains faithful to the composer's original text and reflects the conventions of 18th century performance. This attention to detail has assured that the work remains as popular today as ever it was, both with the performer and the listener. This much-loved oratorio is not just for the musician. The message of hope woven into its texts is the heart of the Christian gospel and uses some of the most beautiful messianic passages in the Bible. In this book David Winter takes these texts and uses them as a basis for forty reflective meditations which aim to draw the reader closer to God as the deep mystery of the familiar words is explored.