December 24, 2023 • 23 mins
Have you ever heard the soul-stirring melodies of a Stradivarius violin? Imagine its strings weaving stories of art, history, and heroism as we unravel the journey of the Huberman Stradivarius this Christmas Eve. The legendary violin crafted by Antonio Stradivari finds voice in the hands of maestros like Bronislaw Huberman and Joshua Bell, echoing the transformative power of music. Alongside these tales, we’ll honor Huberman’s valiant efforts to save Jewish musicians during the Holocaust by establishing the Palestine Philharmonic, showcasing the profound impact of one man's vision and the enduring resonance of hope.
As we explore the fine line where master craftsmanship meets divine artistry, we draw parallels to the grand design of life orchestrated by the ultimate conductor. The story of the Huberman Stradivarius leads us into a broader contemplation of our existence, with discussions touching upon biblical themes of renewal and the omnipresent symphony of love. We conclude with reflections on words of hope and blessing from ancient scripture, finding comfort and joy in the assurance of new beginnings and eternal promises. Join us, along with the esteemed Joshua Bell, as we celebrate not just a historic instrument, but the very cadence of life itself, harmonized with the season’s spirit of giving and grace.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Merry Christmas.
Well, it's Christmas Eve and Ihave a special Christmas Eve
message for you.
This was my Christmas Evemessage from 2016, and I think
this is one of my very favoritemessages I've ever given, and
this is based on a true storythat, to the best of my
knowledge, I have accuratelytold.
(00:39):
So gather the family and enjoythis Christmas message.
I've titled this message in theMaster's Hand.
(01:01):
It is amazing to see how anartisan can take a rough block
of wood and make it somethingbeautiful.
I really appreciate the work,talent and practice that goes
into woodworking.
Whether cabinetry or furnitureor just art, People have learned
to take a rough piece of woodor pieces of wood and turn them
(01:23):
into something beautiful.
Some people use that talent tomake wonderful instruments, and
I want to tell you a bit of astory about the history behind
an instrument.
The story starts with a mannamed Antonio Stradivari, who
lived from the year 1644 to 1737.
(01:44):
He learned how to make stringedinstruments, and the
instruments he made are in thehighest demand and fetch the
highest prices.
There are somewhere between 600and 700 known Stradivarius
instruments around today, andwhen they are sold, it is
usually for millions of dollars,While part of this is limited
(02:08):
supply and demand, since thenumber of Stradivarius
instruments made by Antoniohimself will not increase.
These instruments have somequality to them that produce
such a rich sound that manymusicians would give their right
arm to have one.
Of course, if they did givetheir right arm to have one,
(02:29):
they would not be able to playit, so that would be a little
ironic.
The question that musicianshave tried to answer for decades
is why?
Why do these instruments soundso good?
What was the secret of AntonioStradivarius?
Of course he is dead and can'ttell the secret and apparently
(02:51):
never shared it with anyone.
Some say it is the density ofthe wood he used, since there
was at that time what was calledthe little ice age, where trees
in Europe had stunted growthand denser wood.
Others say it is in the design,but modern copycats can't get
the same result.
(03:11):
Some say it is the uniquelacquer that was used, but one
musician who owns one says thatit is a thousand things that
come together to make thisinstrument so special, and every
one of these uniquemasterpieces of woodworking
started as a rough piece of wood.
(03:33):
I want to tell you a story ofone particular Stradivarius
violin, which is currently inregular use by one of the
superstars of classical music ofour time, a man named Joshua
Bell.
As many Strativariusinstruments have a name, this
violin is called the Gibson XHuberman Strativarius.
(03:54):
Bell bought the violin for justunder $4 million.
He had to sell anotherStrativarius that he already
owned for over $2 million topurchase the Huberman
Strativarius.
It isn't the cost that is ofinterest to me, though.
Money is never as valuable as agood story.
(04:14):
This instrument has a richhistory.
In a town called Cestikova,Poland, in the late 1800s, was a
boy named Bronislaw Huberman.
He lived among the many Jews ofPoland and at a young age he
learned to play the violin.
It was clear early on that hewould become a virtuoso
(04:36):
performer.
A man gave a very precious giftindeed to young Huberman.
It was a Strativarius violin.
When Huberman was just 9 yearsold, his name reached the ears
of the composer Johann Brahms,who had written a difficult
piece called the Concerto forViolin.
(04:57):
It was so difficult to playthat not even the best players
in Europe could do justice tothe piece.
In fact, musicians jokinglysaid it wasn't a Concerto for
violin but against the violin.
Brahms was told of youngHuberman, who was said to be
skilled enough to play the piece.
(05:17):
But he was dismissive.
He didn't believe a 9-year-oldcould possibly play the piece,
but he was talked into going toPoland to hear the boy.
He sat at the back of theconcert hall so that if the
young musician annoyed him hecould slip out.
He begrudgingly sat while theintro to the piece was played by
(05:39):
the orchestra, ready to bebored or angered.
When Huberman began to play,Brahms' eyes were filled with
tears.
He was so moved by theperformance.
Huberman became the biggestcelebrity in Europe a hundred
years ago and was the mostglamorous artist.
Being Jewish, he was called theYiddle with the fiddle.
(06:01):
Huberman put such emotion intohis music that tears would
stream down his face as heplayed.
He was achieving every successin life a musician could want.
And then came Adolf Hitler.
Huberman's hometown in Polandwas one of those places where
the evil of the Nazis was fullyrealized.
(06:23):
Tens of thousands of Jews fromhis community were killed or
driven off, and the beautifulsynagogue where he and his
parents had worshiped was burneddown by the Nazis.
As throughout the history ofthe Jewish people, there was a
sense of always being ready tomove, and so one Jewish man said
(06:43):
of the violin that it is such aJewish instrument you can run
away with it.
You can't run away with a piano.
Huberman was at the peak ofpopularity when Hitler was
coming into power.
He saw some of the writing onthe wall about Hitler.
As Hitler was rising, some badsigns were there for the Jewish
people.
Many who considered Germanytheir own country found
(07:07):
themselves becoming second-classcitizens, and it could only get
worse.
Hitler ordered at one pointthat Jews could not be part of
any kind of entertainment,including music.
Huberman was concerned thatthese many musicians would soon
be put to death in Germany andother occupied places of Europe,
(07:28):
so he started using hisinfluence to get some out.
The way he did it was to startthe Palestine Philharmonic.
In this way, he was able tohire many Jewish musicians and
get them out of danger.
He also knew that the ones hechose would be saved and the
ones he could not hire wouldprobably die.
(07:49):
So he would audition them withhis back to them, so that the
decision would be based upontalent alone.
He was always haunted by theknowledge that he played a part
in picking who would live anddie.
Many of those he hired beggedhim to help their relatives as
well, and he had compassion andbrought many of them to
(08:12):
Palestine as well.
All told, he saved over 800Jews by bringing them to
Palestine.
This was a very expensiveundertaking, so he went to New
York to have a concert to raisefunds at Carnegie Hall.
During the concert, he wasusing his second violin and the
(08:32):
Strativarius was in his dressingroom.
And while he played, the violinwas stolen.
It would not be seen again for50 years.
The day after Christmas in 1936,the Palestine Philharmonic had
their first concert.
3,000 tickets were printed.
All of them sold quickly.
(08:54):
The orchestra consisted of someof the best musicians in the
world.
The conductor of that firstconcert was the best conductor
in the world at that time,Arturo Tuscagnini, who had left
Italy after refusing to play forthe fascist Mussolini, and
between him and Huberman, thisconcert was a message to Hitler
(09:15):
and the fascists that peoplewould stand against them.
By the way, the PalestinePhilharmonic still exists today,
although it is now known as theIsraeli Philharmonic.
But what happened to that violin?
Well, after it was stolen, theman who had it was a musician
(09:35):
who would play nightclubs andparties and kept his secret
hidden for many years.
But as he sat in prison, dyingof cancer.
He confessed about the originsof the instrument and Lloyds of
London, which had paid out aninsurance policy years before,
sold it at auction for $1.2million.
This was in the late 1980s.
(09:58):
Eventually it was sold, as Imentioned earlier, to Joshua
Bell, and there is just a littlebit more to this story.
You see, Joshua Bell is Jewishas well, with roots connected to
that old synagogue in Cestakowa, Poland, the one the Nazis
burned down.
But when the Berlin Wall camedown and the Jewish people who
(10:21):
had not been to their hometownsince being driven out in World
War II, came back upon the spotwhere that synagogue once stood,
the Polish people had built aconcert hall and Joshua Bell,
who now owns the HubermanStrativarius, went to that
concert hall and in the sameplace as the young nine-year-old
(10:42):
Huberman had played the mostdifficult concerto for violin
for the great composer Brahms,Joshua Bell, who also had tears
in his eyes while he played,performed the same composition
on the same instrument over 100years later.
For some of the Jewish peoplewho are still around and
(11:03):
remember the painful past of thewar, this was a broken circle,
closed once again, and areminder that in this world
light still overcomes darkness,and as Joshua Bell now tours the
world, delighting audienceswith his skill and love for
music, as he plays theex-Huberman Strativarius, I
(11:27):
thought perhaps you would liketo hear what it sounds like.
So here's just a short clip ofJoshua Bell performing Silent
Night, accompanied by the YoungPeople's Chorus of New York City
this Jewish musician playinghis very Jewish instrument,
which has itself a very Jewishhistory.
I think you will enjoy.
(11:47):
I can only play a short clipbecause I don't want to violate
copyright, but here it is.
(12:21):
Antonio Strativarius, indeed,was an artisan of the highest
quality, and those who haveplayed his instruments have been
musicians of the highestquality.
Many people can take a hunk ofwood and do something with it,
but few can make it a trulybeautiful piece, as Strativari
did, and few can play it likeHuberman did and like Joshua
(12:45):
Bell does today.
And few can direct theorchestra through the difficult
music of Brahms and other greatcomposers, as Tuscanini did
during that first concert of thePalestine Philharmonic on the
day after Christmas in 1936.
It is enough that any of thesemen were able to do one thing
(13:06):
well, whether Strativarius, theartisan, or Huberman, or Bell,
the violinists, or Tuscanini,the conductor, or Brahms, the
composer.
But God himself is perfect inall of these.
He is the artisan who took therough wood of the manger and
made it the temporary holdingplace of the only perfect gift
(13:30):
the world has ever received, andwho also took the rough wood of
the cross and made that one ofthe ugliest symbols ever known
into a precious and beautifulsymbol to those who understand
its meaning.
He is the musician who putsmusic into the hearts of people
(13:50):
and whose song of love stretchesthrough eternity.
And he is the conductor of theheavenly choir and also the
composer who has not onlywritten the perfect score but
also assembled the orchestra andthe players who would be part
of his perfect symphony of lovewhich, in this season, we
reflect on giving thanks andhopefully sharing his love.
(14:14):
He is also the rescuer whosnatches those he saves from
certain death.
Imagine if Strativarius hadlooked at the hunk of wood that
was to become the Hubermanviolin and rejected it because
it was too rough.
No, he saw the potential andcarefully crafted it into a
(14:36):
masterpiece.
Imagine if that masterpiece hadnever found its way into the
hands of the virtuoso performerHuberman and later Joshua Bell.
Imagine if Brahms had neverwritten his many masterpieces,
which that instrument played tobring peace and joy to so many
through the power of the music,and Tuscanini had thought of his
(14:59):
safety first and playedpropaganda music for Mussolini
instead of going to Palestine todirect the Philharmonic there.
We can be thankful that eachcharacter in this story played
their part.
God has written his story, butit is still being played out and
each of us has a part in hisstory, for good or for bad.
(15:20):
We may think of ourselves likethat rough piece of wood.
The master artisan sees what wewill become, but we may be too
short-sighted to see forourselves.
We may think we are too roughto be shaped into anything
beautiful, much less useful.
But Stradivari did not look atthat hunk of wood as it was, but
(15:42):
at what its potential was, andGod wants us to see that he is
the master artisan who can seeperfectly into the future and
knows what a masterpiece each ofus can become.
The blocks of wood thatStradivari has fashioned into
the ex-Huberman violin did nothave a choice.
They were at the mercy of thehands of the master.
(16:05):
But God does give us a choice.
He gives us the choice tobelieve in him.
He gives us the choice to allowhim to chisel away those rough
places and make us intosomething beautiful.
The way he has chosen to dothis is through those two
symbols, both made of rough wood, both seemingly unfit for any
(16:27):
use of a higher nature themanger and the cross.
The manger, wherein humility,the principle of the symphony of
love, would first appear as ahelpless baby.
He was so humble that heallowed other humble people to
have starring roles in this.
The first act, Mary, who borewhat appeared to be a shame
(16:48):
being pregnant, though not yetmarried.
She was given a key role.
Joseph, who would for a time begiven charge as father of one
who was accustomed only to aheavenly father.
Keepers of sheep, and probablyothers who were so humble they
aren't even mentioned in thestory but who nonetheless were
part of it.
The other object, made of roughwood, the cross, was seemingly
(17:12):
the final act.
Manger and humility.
Once again, the principle ofthe symphony breathed what
seemed to be the last note.
In the audience of the daythought the show was over.
They began to prepare to goback to their normal business of
life, but the master artisan,who also was the conductor and
the composer of this symphony,had not yet finished the
(17:36):
performance.
He had an encore in mind.
In the encore the principalplayer went from humble and
helpless to the conquering hero.
The symphony was not over yetand it is not over yet, but the
music in heaven will be sweet,my friends.
For eternity we will be part ofGod's song.
(17:56):
I've heard people say beforethat sounds boring, I can't
imagine just singing foreternity.
But if you have ever had thechance to hear the kind of music
that was played by thatorchestra of world-class
musicians directed by theworld's best conductor that
Christmas in 1936, you wouldknow what it is like to enjoy
(18:19):
music so much that you neverwant the concert to end.
And God's symphony is going tobe infinitely better than that.
To form the symphony inPalestine, the musicians went
through great difficulty.
Huberman had his preciousStradivarius stolen.
Many of the musicians escapeddeath in Europe to be there.
(18:41):
Many knew that old friends andeven some family had not made it
.
In spite of this, that concertwas a joyful event, a victory of
sorts against the evil in theworld.
For the Christian, that eternalconcert will likewise be one of
joy and victory, and many of uswill have passed through some
(19:02):
painful and difficult times inlife.
We will know of family orfriends who didn't make it to
the concert.
The story of Jesus began beforetime began, but this time of
year we celebrate his advent,his coming into the world.
So I want to close this messagewith a story that should still
cause us to be in awe and wonderat the love of God, and then to
(19:26):
read just a hint of what thenext act holds for those who
love Jesus Luke 2, 1-21.
In those days, a decree wentout from Caesar Augustus that
all the world should beregistered.
This was the first registrationwhen Quirinius was governor of
Syria, and all went to beregistered, each to his own town
(19:48):
, and Joseph also went up fromGalilee, from the town of
Nazareth, to Judea, to the cityof David, which is called
Bethlehem because he was of thehouse and lineage of David, to
be registered with Mary, hisbetrothed, who was with child.
And while they were there, thetime came for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to herfirstborn son and wrapped him in
(20:11):
swaddling clothes and laid himin a manger, because there was
no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region therewere shepherds out in the field
keeping watch over their flockby night and an angel of the
Lord appeared to them and theglory of the Lord shone around
them and they were filled withgreat fear.
The angel said to them Fear not, for behold, I bring you good
(20:34):
news of great joy that will befor all people, For unto you is
born this day, in the city ofDavid, a Savior who is Christ
the Lord, and this will be asign for you.
You will find a baby wrapped inswaddling clothes and lying in
a manger.
And suddenly there was with theangel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God andsaying Glory to God in the
(20:57):
highest and, on earth, peaceamong those with whom he is
pleased.
When the angels went away fromthem into heaven, the shepherds
said to one another Let us goover to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has happened, whichthe Lord has made known to us.
And they went with haste andfound Mary and Joseph and the
baby lying in a manger.
(21:18):
And when they saw it, they madeknown the saying that had been
told them concerning this child.
And all who heard it wonderedat what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured up all thesethings, pondering them in her
heart, and the shepherdsreturned glorifying and praising
God for all they had heard andseen, as it had been told them.
(21:40):
And at the end of eight days,when he was circumcised, he was
called Jesus, the name given bythe angel before he was
conceived in the womb.
And there is another on courtto come.
Revelation 21 tells us this.
Then I saw a new heaven and anew earth, for the first heaven
(22:03):
and the first earth had passedaway and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, NewJerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as abride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice fromthe throne saying Behold, the
dwelling place of God is withman.
(22:23):
He will dwell with them andthey will be his people, and God
himself will be with them astheir God.
He will wipe away every tearfrom their eyes and death shall
be no more Death.
Shall there be mourning, norcrying, nor pain any more.
For the former things havepassed away.
(22:44):
And he who is seated on thethrone said Behold, I am making
all things new.
Also, he said Write this down,for these words are trustworthy
and true.
And he said to me it is done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,the beginning and the end To the
thirsty.
(23:04):
I will give from the spring ofthe water of life, without
payment.
The one who conquers will havethis heritage and I will be his
God and he will be my Son.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shineupon you and be gracious to you
.
The Lord lift up hiscountenance upon you and give
(23:26):
you peace.
Merry Christmas.
Well, it's Christmas Eve and Ihave a special Christmas Eve
message for you.
This was my Christmas Evemessage from 2016, and I think
this is one of my very favoritemessages I've ever given, and
this is based on a true storythat, to the best of my
knowledge, I have accuratelytold.
(00:39):
So gather the family and enjoythis Christmas message.
I've titled this message in theMaster's Hand.
(01:01):
It is amazing to see how anartisan can take a rough block
of wood and make it somethingbeautiful.
I really appreciate the work,talent and practice that goes
into woodworking.
Whether cabinetry or furnitureor just art, People have learned
to take a rough piece of woodor pieces of wood and turn them
(01:23):
into something beautiful.
Some people use that talent tomake wonderful instruments, and
I want to tell you a bit of astory about the history behind
an instrument.
The story starts with a mannamed Antonio Stradivari, who
lived from the year 1644 to 1737.
(01:44):
He learned how to make stringedinstruments, and the
instruments he made are in thehighest demand and fetch the
highest prices.
There are somewhere between 600and 700 known Stradivarius
instruments around today, andwhen they are sold, it is
usually for millions of dollars,While part of this is limited
(02:08):
supply and demand, since thenumber of Stradivarius
instruments made by Antoniohimself will not increase.
These instruments have somequality to them that produce
such a rich sound that manymusicians would give their right
arm to have one.
Of course, if they did givetheir right arm to have one,
(02:29):
they would not be able to playit, so that would be a little
ironic.
The question that musicianshave tried to answer for decades
is why?
Why do these instruments soundso good?
What was the secret of AntonioStradivarius?
Of course he is dead and can'ttell the secret and apparently
(02:51):
never shared it with anyone.
Some say it is the density ofthe wood he used, since there
was at that time what was calledthe little ice age, where trees
in Europe had stunted growthand denser wood.
Others say it is in the design,but modern copycats can't get
the same result.
(03:11):
Some say it is the uniquelacquer that was used, but one
musician who owns one says thatit is a thousand things that
come together to make thisinstrument so special, and every
one of these uniquemasterpieces of woodworking
started as a rough piece of wood.
(03:33):
I want to tell you a story ofone particular Stradivarius
violin, which is currently inregular use by one of the
superstars of classical music ofour time, a man named Joshua
Bell.
As many Strativariusinstruments have a name, this
violin is called the Gibson XHuberman Strativarius.
(03:54):
Bell bought the violin for justunder $4 million.
He had to sell anotherStrativarius that he already
owned for over $2 million topurchase the Huberman
Strativarius.
It isn't the cost that is ofinterest to me, though.
Money is never as valuable as agood story.
(04:14):
This instrument has a richhistory.
In a town called Cestikova,Poland, in the late 1800s, was a
boy named Bronislaw Huberman.
He lived among the many Jews ofPoland and at a young age he
learned to play the violin.
It was clear early on that hewould become a virtuoso
(04:36):
performer.
A man gave a very precious giftindeed to young Huberman.
It was a Strativarius violin.
When Huberman was just 9 yearsold, his name reached the ears
of the composer Johann Brahms,who had written a difficult
piece called the Concerto forViolin.
(04:57):
It was so difficult to playthat not even the best players
in Europe could do justice tothe piece.
In fact, musicians jokinglysaid it wasn't a Concerto for
violin but against the violin.
Brahms was told of youngHuberman, who was said to be
skilled enough to play the piece.
(05:17):
But he was dismissive.
He didn't believe a 9-year-oldcould possibly play the piece,
but he was talked into going toPoland to hear the boy.
He sat at the back of theconcert hall so that if the
young musician annoyed him hecould slip out.
He begrudgingly sat while theintro to the piece was played by
(05:39):
the orchestra, ready to bebored or angered.
When Huberman began to play,Brahms' eyes were filled with
tears.
He was so moved by theperformance.
Huberman became the biggestcelebrity in Europe a hundred
years ago and was the mostglamorous artist.
Being Jewish, he was called theYiddle with the fiddle.
(06:01):
Huberman put such emotion intohis music that tears would
stream down his face as heplayed.
He was achieving every successin life a musician could want.
And then came Adolf Hitler.
Huberman's hometown in Polandwas one of those places where
the evil of the Nazis was fullyrealized.
(06:23):
Tens of thousands of Jews fromhis community were killed or
driven off, and the beautifulsynagogue where he and his
parents had worshiped was burneddown by the Nazis.
As throughout the history ofthe Jewish people, there was a
sense of always being ready tomove, and so one Jewish man said
(06:43):
of the violin that it is such aJewish instrument you can run
away with it.
You can't run away with a piano.
Huberman was at the peak ofpopularity when Hitler was
coming into power.
He saw some of the writing onthe wall about Hitler.
As Hitler was rising, some badsigns were there for the Jewish
people.
Many who considered Germanytheir own country found
(07:07):
themselves becoming second-classcitizens, and it could only get
worse.
Hitler ordered at one pointthat Jews could not be part of
any kind of entertainment,including music.
Huberman was concerned thatthese many musicians would soon
be put to death in Germany andother occupied places of Europe,
(07:28):
so he started using hisinfluence to get some out.
The way he did it was to startthe Palestine Philharmonic.
In this way, he was able tohire many Jewish musicians and
get them out of danger.
He also knew that the ones hechose would be saved and the
ones he could not hire wouldprobably die.
(07:49):
So he would audition them withhis back to them, so that the
decision would be based upontalent alone.
He was always haunted by theknowledge that he played a part
in picking who would live anddie.
Many of those he hired beggedhim to help their relatives as
well, and he had compassion andbrought many of them to
(08:12):
Palestine as well.
All told, he saved over 800Jews by bringing them to
Palestine.
This was a very expensiveundertaking, so he went to New
York to have a concert to raisefunds at Carnegie Hall.
During the concert, he wasusing his second violin and the
(08:32):
Strativarius was in his dressingroom.
And while he played, the violinwas stolen.
It would not be seen again for50 years.
The day after Christmas in 1936,the Palestine Philharmonic had
their first concert.
3,000 tickets were printed.
All of them sold quickly.
(08:54):
The orchestra consisted of someof the best musicians in the
world.
The conductor of that firstconcert was the best conductor
in the world at that time,Arturo Tuscagnini, who had left
Italy after refusing to play forthe fascist Mussolini, and
between him and Huberman, thisconcert was a message to Hitler
(09:15):
and the fascists that peoplewould stand against them.
By the way, the PalestinePhilharmonic still exists today,
although it is now known as theIsraeli Philharmonic.
But what happened to that violin?
Well, after it was stolen, theman who had it was a musician
(09:35):
who would play nightclubs andparties and kept his secret
hidden for many years.
But as he sat in prison, dyingof cancer.
He confessed about the originsof the instrument and Lloyds of
London, which had paid out aninsurance policy years before,
sold it at auction for $1.2million.
This was in the late 1980s.
(09:58):
Eventually it was sold, as Imentioned earlier, to Joshua
Bell, and there is just a littlebit more to this story.
You see, Joshua Bell is Jewishas well, with roots connected to
that old synagogue in Cestakowa, Poland, the one the Nazis
burned down.
But when the Berlin Wall camedown and the Jewish people who
(10:21):
had not been to their hometownsince being driven out in World
War II, came back upon the spotwhere that synagogue once stood,
the Polish people had built aconcert hall and Joshua Bell,
who now owns the HubermanStrativarius, went to that
concert hall and in the sameplace as the young nine-year-old
(10:42):
Huberman had played the mostdifficult concerto for violin
for the great composer Brahms,Joshua Bell, who also had tears
in his eyes while he played,performed the same composition
on the same instrument over 100years later.
For some of the Jewish peoplewho are still around and
(11:03):
remember the painful past of thewar, this was a broken circle,
closed once again, and areminder that in this world
light still overcomes darkness,and as Joshua Bell now tours the
world, delighting audienceswith his skill and love for
music, as he plays theex-Huberman Strativarius, I
(11:27):
thought perhaps you would liketo hear what it sounds like.
So here's just a short clip ofJoshua Bell performing Silent
Night, accompanied by the YoungPeople's Chorus of New York City
this Jewish musician playinghis very Jewish instrument,
which has itself a very Jewishhistory.
I think you will enjoy.
(11:47):
I can only play a short clipbecause I don't want to violate
copyright, but here it is.
(12:21):
Antonio Strativarius, indeed,was an artisan of the highest
quality, and those who haveplayed his instruments have been
musicians of the highestquality.
Many people can take a hunk ofwood and do something with it,
but few can make it a trulybeautiful piece, as Strativari
did, and few can play it likeHuberman did and like Joshua
(12:45):
Bell does today.
And few can direct theorchestra through the difficult
music of Brahms and other greatcomposers, as Tuscanini did
during that first concert of thePalestine Philharmonic on the
day after Christmas in 1936.
It is enough that any of thesemen were able to do one thing
(13:06):
well, whether Strativarius, theartisan, or Huberman, or Bell,
the violinists, or Tuscanini,the conductor, or Brahms, the
composer.
But God himself is perfect inall of these.
He is the artisan who took therough wood of the manger and
made it the temporary holdingplace of the only perfect gift
(13:30):
the world has ever received, andwho also took the rough wood of
the cross and made that one ofthe ugliest symbols ever known
into a precious and beautifulsymbol to those who understand
its meaning.
He is the musician who putsmusic into the hearts of people
(13:50):
and whose song of love stretchesthrough eternity.
And he is the conductor of theheavenly choir and also the
composer who has not onlywritten the perfect score but
also assembled the orchestra andthe players who would be part
of his perfect symphony of lovewhich, in this season, we
reflect on giving thanks andhopefully sharing his love.
(14:14):
He is also the rescuer whosnatches those he saves from
certain death.
Imagine if Strativarius hadlooked at the hunk of wood that
was to become the Hubermanviolin and rejected it because
it was too rough.
No, he saw the potential andcarefully crafted it into a
(14:36):
masterpiece.
Imagine if that masterpiece hadnever found its way into the
hands of the virtuoso performerHuberman and later Joshua Bell.
Imagine if Brahms had neverwritten his many masterpieces,
which that instrument played tobring peace and joy to so many
through the power of the music,and Tuscanini had thought of his
(14:59):
safety first and playedpropaganda music for Mussolini
instead of going to Palestine todirect the Philharmonic there.
We can be thankful that eachcharacter in this story played
their part.
God has written his story, butit is still being played out and
each of us has a part in hisstory, for good or for bad.
(15:20):
We may think of ourselves likethat rough piece of wood.
The master artisan sees what wewill become, but we may be too
short-sighted to see forourselves.
We may think we are too roughto be shaped into anything
beautiful, much less useful.
But Stradivari did not look atthat hunk of wood as it was, but
(15:42):
at what its potential was, andGod wants us to see that he is
the master artisan who can seeperfectly into the future and
knows what a masterpiece each ofus can become.
The blocks of wood thatStradivari has fashioned into
the ex-Huberman violin did nothave a choice.
They were at the mercy of thehands of the master.
(16:05):
But God does give us a choice.
He gives us the choice tobelieve in him.
He gives us the choice to allowhim to chisel away those rough
places and make us intosomething beautiful.
The way he has chosen to dothis is through those two
symbols, both made of rough wood, both seemingly unfit for any
(16:27):
use of a higher nature themanger and the cross.
The manger, wherein humility,the principle of the symphony of
love, would first appear as ahelpless baby.
He was so humble that heallowed other humble people to
have starring roles in this.
The first act, Mary, who borewhat appeared to be a shame
(16:48):
being pregnant, though not yetmarried.
She was given a key role.
Joseph, who would for a time begiven charge as father of one
who was accustomed only to aheavenly father.
Keepers of sheep, and probablyothers who were so humble they
aren't even mentioned in thestory but who nonetheless were
part of it.
The other object, made of roughwood, the cross, was seemingly
(17:12):
the final act.
Manger and humility.
Once again, the principle ofthe symphony breathed what
seemed to be the last note.
In the audience of the daythought the show was over.
They began to prepare to goback to their normal business of
life, but the master artisan,who also was the conductor and
the composer of this symphony,had not yet finished the
(17:36):
performance.
He had an encore in mind.
In the encore the principalplayer went from humble and
helpless to the conquering hero.
The symphony was not over yetand it is not over yet, but the
music in heaven will be sweet,my friends.
For eternity we will be part ofGod's song.
(17:56):
I've heard people say beforethat sounds boring, I can't
imagine just singing foreternity.
But if you have ever had thechance to hear the kind of music
that was played by thatorchestra of world-class
musicians directed by theworld's best conductor that
Christmas in 1936, you wouldknow what it is like to enjoy
(18:19):
music so much that you neverwant the concert to end.
And God's symphony is going tobe infinitely better than that.
To form the symphony inPalestine, the musicians went
through great difficulty.
Huberman had his preciousStradivarius stolen.
Many of the musicians escapeddeath in Europe to be there.
(18:41):
Many knew that old friends andeven some family had not made it
.
In spite of this, that concertwas a joyful event, a victory of
sorts against the evil in theworld.
For the Christian, that eternalconcert will likewise be one of
joy and victory, and many of uswill have passed through some
(19:02):
painful and difficult times inlife.
We will know of family orfriends who didn't make it to
the concert.
The story of Jesus began beforetime began, but this time of
year we celebrate his advent,his coming into the world.
So I want to close this messagewith a story that should still
cause us to be in awe and wonderat the love of God, and then to
(19:26):
read just a hint of what thenext act holds for those who
love Jesus Luke 2, 1-21.
In those days, a decree wentout from Caesar Augustus that
all the world should beregistered.
This was the first registrationwhen Quirinius was governor of
Syria, and all went to beregistered, each to his own town
(19:48):
, and Joseph also went up fromGalilee, from the town of
Nazareth, to Judea, to the cityof David, which is called
Bethlehem because he was of thehouse and lineage of David, to
be registered with Mary, hisbetrothed, who was with child.
And while they were there, thetime came for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to herfirstborn son and wrapped him in
(20:11):
swaddling clothes and laid himin a manger, because there was
no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region therewere shepherds out in the field
keeping watch over their flockby night and an angel of the
Lord appeared to them and theglory of the Lord shone around
them and they were filled withgreat fear.
The angel said to them Fear not, for behold, I bring you good
(20:34):
news of great joy that will befor all people, For unto you is
born this day, in the city ofDavid, a Savior who is Christ
the Lord, and this will be asign for you.
You will find a baby wrapped inswaddling clothes and lying in
a manger.
And suddenly there was with theangel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God andsaying Glory to God in the
(20:57):
highest and, on earth, peaceamong those with whom he is
pleased.
When the angels went away fromthem into heaven, the shepherds
said to one another Let us goover to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has happened, whichthe Lord has made known to us.
And they went with haste andfound Mary and Joseph and the
baby lying in a manger.
(21:18):
And when they saw it, they madeknown the saying that had been
told them concerning this child.
And all who heard it wonderedat what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured up all thesethings, pondering them in her
heart, and the shepherdsreturned glorifying and praising
God for all they had heard andseen, as it had been told them.
(21:40):
And at the end of eight days,when he was circumcised, he was
called Jesus, the name given bythe angel before he was
conceived in the womb.
And there is another on courtto come.
Revelation 21 tells us this.
Then I saw a new heaven and anew earth, for the first heaven
(22:03):
and the first earth had passedaway and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, NewJerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as abride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice fromthe throne saying Behold, the
dwelling place of God is withman.
(22:23):
He will dwell with them andthey will be his people, and God
himself will be with them astheir God.
He will wipe away every tearfrom their eyes and death shall
be no more Death.
Shall there be mourning, norcrying, nor pain any more.
For the former things havepassed away.
(22:44):
And he who is seated on thethrone said Behold, I am making
all things new.
Also, he said Write this down,for these words are trustworthy
and true.
And he said to me it is done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,the beginning and the end To the
thirsty.
(23:04):
I will give from the spring ofthe water of life, without
payment.
The one who conquers will havethis heritage and I will be his
God and he will be my Son.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shineupon you and be gracious to you
.
The Lord lift up hiscountenance upon you and give
(23:26):
you peace.
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