Alleluia for Christmas!
Pavel Chesnokov wrote a moving choral piece that was intended to be sung during communion called “Salvation is Created.” It was composed in 1912, just a few years before the Soviet Union began suppressing Christianity. I heard it at our Christmas gala in college, and it ended up being one of the most meaningful religious experiences I’ve ever had.
Midway through the event, they turned out all the lights in the chapel and 10 of the male members of the choir stood up in the balcony, with a lit candle in their hands, and began to sing softly, in deep voices, “Salvation is created.” As their voices grew and filled the whole space, the words felt weightier as they washed over us. They continued, “Salvation is created. In midst of the earth, O God, O our God.” It then was repeated a few more times, getting louder until, with one voice, they sang, “Alleluia” over and over again. And then, as quietly as they started, the alleluias quietly faded away. It is a simple hymn, with very few words, but the force of those words cut straight to the heart.
The Christmas season arrives loudly, with much pageantry and fanfare, and for many of us, it quickly goes away. Once all the wrapping paper has been thrown out, Christmas is officially over, but the Church says, “Not so fast.” Christmas is a season, not just a day. The implications of the incarnation cannot just come and go in 24 hours, but the power and force of its meaning should cut to the heart and sink deep in our bones. May the joyous alleluias of Christmas stay with you over this Holiest season.
