The Resurrection

Yesterday I was out shopping and the cashier asked me, "Do you believe in Easter?" I of course said yes I do but now I'm kicking myself for not talking more to him about it. I do believe that Jesus Christ lives and the fact that he broke the bands of death means we all will be resurrected and live again. How comforting to know we will see our loved ones again!

A friend reminded me of Gustav Mahler's Symphony, No 2, The Resurrection. If you have never heard it, I hope you hear it performed, or at least on a recording sometime in the near future. I have been lucky enough to play it in my BYU days (maybe you've seen me on tv if you have byutv) but even more lucky, Brian has played it with the Chicago Symphony! It was unforgettable hearing those performances. It is an amazing mammoth of a symphony which requires a large orchestra, two soloists, a choir, organ, and extra brass and percussion players offstage. It can take an hour and a half to complete. In the fifth and final movement they sing words that are from a poem by someone named Klopstock but mainly Mahler's own words. While Mahler was not Christian, I feel he really did understand the Resurrection and I have been deeply moved by the combined affect of his music with his words. After sitting through an hour of amazing, heartfelt music exploring life and death, you hear the choir sing these words (translated into English courtesy of wikipedia)

Rise again, yes, rise again,

Will you My dust,

After a brief rest!

Immortal life! Immortal life

Will He who called you, give you.

To bloom again were you created!

The Lord of the harvest goes

And gathers in, like sheaves,

Us together, who die.

O believe, my heart, O believe:

Nothing to you is lost!

Yours is, yes yours, is what you desired

Yours, what you have loved

What you have fought for!

O believe,

You were not born for nothing!

Have not for nothing, lived, suffered!

What was created

Must perish,

What perished, rise again!

Cease from trembling!

Prepare yourself to live!

It goes on but those are my favorite parts. "To bloom again were you created." I love that. Happy Easter.