The Music & the Spoken Word broadcast airs live via TV, radio, and internet stream on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. mountain time. For information on other airtimes, visit “Airing Schedules” at musicandthespokenword.org.

This encore performance of Music & the Spoken Word has been specially selected for airing while the Choir and Orchestra are practicing social distancing. It contains a new Spoken Word written and delivered by Lloyd Newell.

Music

Conductor: Mack Wilberg
Organist: Brian Mathias
Announcer: Lloyd Newell

“Arise, O God, and Shine”
Music: John Darwell
Lyrics: William Hurn
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“I Sing the Mighty Power of God”¹
Music: English melody
Lyrics: Isaac Watts
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Venite!” (organ solo)
Music: John Leavitt

“Let All the Angels of God Worship Him”² from Messiah
Music: George Frideric Handel

“Come to My Garden”³ from The Secret Garden
Music Lucy Simon 
Lyrics: Marsha Norman
Arrangement: Kurt Bestor

“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”⁴
Music: Rowland Hugh Prichard
Lyrics: Charles Wesley
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg 

1. On the CD Consider the Lilies and in the CD Set Encore Collection.
2. On the CDs Messiah - Complete Oratorio and Messiah - Highlights.
3. On the CD Showtime!
4. On the CD Let Us All Press On.

The Spoken Word

Grow in Patience and Wisdom

On a particularly hot summer day, a woman jokingly asked her husband to go online and order some cooler weather. The husband got on his computer and a few minutes later reported, “Done. It should arrive sometime this fall.”

We all have times of discomfort, even disaster. The key to surviving such times is our faith that things will work out in the end. And if things are not working out, then it must not be the end. Patience and perspective give us the strength to carry on during life’s inevitable hard times.

Virtually every classic tale in literature or film has, as its driving force, some problem or conflict to overcome. Imagine how dull a book would be if the resolution came in chapter 1. We keep reading to the end because we want to know how things will work out—and we’re confident that they will somehow.

Quite often, the resolution comes in the form of change or growth in the main character. He or she has learned something valuable, and it wouldn’t have happened without the adversity that propelled the adventure.

Learning is what makes life’s adventure worthwhile. And while learning is sometimes expensive, ignorance costs even more. So what should we be learning? We have access to almost limitless information, but some things simply matter more than others. Some things are interesting; others are deeply meaningful. Some are thought-provoking; others are life-changing. What kind of learning will bring us to the “happily ever after” at the end of our adventure?

Consider the Lord’s invitation: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

When life hurts and we wonder how we can carry on, we can find rest in Him. He won’t always give us premature resolution to our problems, but He will give us faith that the resolution is coming. And when things don’t seem to be working out yet, we can know that the Lord is giving us time to learn and grow before our story comes to an end.