Have you heard Beethoven's Ninth Symphony?  The nineteenth century German composer's last symphony, the Ninth is perhaps most famous for its final movement, the so-called Ode to Joy, a glorious paean to the glory of humanity and its existence in the world.  Although I've heard the movement many times, I heard it again the other day, and came away, struck again, by its deep passion for life.
     When I consider the context in which Beethoven wrote this magnificent symphony, the aftermath of the European Enlightenment and the emerging Romantic movement in the West and the vast shifts in worldview that these engendered, I marvel at the drive, the unmitigated drive of humanity to find its place, its meaning and purpose in the cosmos.  With the Enlightenment, the Western intellectuals abandoned the idea that God was a legitimate path to truth, and in the Romantic movement proceeded to develop a new idea of what truth might be.  Ironically, the Romantics averred that truth may yet be found in some sort of eternity--but not a personal God--while the rest of Europe, soon caught up in the technology of the burgeoning Industrial Revolution, concluded that truth might in fact never be found at all.
     Nonetheless, people continued to look for meaning.  They do so even today, usually settling for finding it in the richness of existence, the fullness of living, or the encompassing wonder of being alive in a vibrant world.  Whether they know it or not, they live in the spirit of the Ode to Joy every day.
     Whatever else we may think about the Enlightenment or the Romantics, we can thank Beethoven who, despite his inner torments, gave us an anthem for all seasons, a fervent shout of joy to all that is beautiful in the world.  As Thanksgiving approaches, we can rejoice in our existence each day.  We can be thankful that we are here, that we are loved, that we have life.  We can delight in the beauty of knowing that we are alive, every moment of every day.
     It's a wonderful picture of the heart of God.