When you think of musical instruments, what comes to mind first? Pianos, guitars, drums and saxophones are common. The harp? Probably it’s near the bottom of the list. Somewhere around tuba or xylophone. Yet culture has always associated the sounds of Heaven with the harp.
Harpist Michael-David will be the featured musician and speaker Saturday, January 13 at 10 am during the morning Shabbat worship service at Or HaOlam Messianic Synagogue, 9898 W. 95th St., Overland Park.
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He and his wife Zsiporah are a Messianic couple who have traveled around the world ministering in music and teaching over the decades with a distinct Hebraic emphasis. As they minister, Michael-David brings the heavenly sound of the harp in worship and prayer. In the January 13 morning service, they will share some of their original music and the songs of Zion. He will also deliver the sermon. At 1:30 pm he will bring insights on the throne room of God from the perspective of a prophetic harpist, according to a congregation spokesperson.
Besides playing the harp, Michael-David is an inventor. One of his inventions is an electronic harp, the Harpella that, according to the website, “makes it easy to play the harp.” The ease of use is due to “the ability to play chords with strings that are lit up to indicate which strings are active – unneeded strings are muted so you can’t make a mistake. The sound of the nylon strings is never out of tune.”
Harpella earned an endorsement from the late David Van Koevering, a mentor to Michael-David and also a musical instrument inventor. Van Koevering worked alongside Bob Moog in the early days of marketing the Minimoog synthesizer. Van Koevering called the Harpella “a new kind of musical instrument. There’s never been anything similar … It is a harp, but it is much more than a harp.”
Or HaOlam Messianic Synagogue is a congregation of Jews and Gentiles who celebrate God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel and all nations. They believe the Messiah is Yeshua (Jesus’ name in Hebrew) and has come to fulfill the biblical prophecies and is the Light of the World, as their name means in Hebrew.
Their website is orhaolam.com.
–Lori Wilson