Last night, on the eve of the commemoration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s death, I listened to Bach’s Mass in B minor (which I now seem to be doing with greater frequency).  I’ve become increasingly convinced that it is his finest composition and has few, if any rivals, amongst the works of other composers past or present.

The text itself is quite familiar — the words of the Divine Service that have been sung by Christians for hundreds of years.  The same words that have accompanied the travelers of this world as they receive the gifts of God and confess and respond with thanksgiving.  The same words where the “now” of earthly life and “not yet” of eternity are joined.  Kyrie Eleison.  Gloria in Excelsis.  Credo.  Sanctus.

One of the things you find with Bach is the interconnectedness of words and music.  Bach takes these words and through the music provides a theological commentary.  For those interested in learning more about Bach’s compositional techniques in his Mass and how they enrich the text, you can download Christ’s Gifts in the Liturgy: The Theology and Music of the Divine Service (free download) from the Good Shepherd Institute and read Bach and the Divine Service: The B-Minor Mass by Paul W. Hofreiter.  The music isn’t just background noise to provide cover for the text and neither does the music dominate the text.  This is a good reminder for church musicians even today.

It is for these reasons that I’m drawn to the Mass in B minor.  While the words are in Latin, I inwardly “know” what is being sung — the music helps to reinforce those words.  It is a sung confession in faith of what Christ has done for us.  Hofreiter writes that “Bach could proclaim, in unison with Luther and all who have believed and will believe:”

All to the praise of Him who is the Master of all beauty.  All praise sung by faith at the present time is but a beginning of the eternal hymn. (Luther)

In closing, I’ll leave you with two of my favorite selections from Bach’s Mass — the Sanctus and Dona nobis pacem.  If you watch the Dona nobis pacem, notice what happens at the conclusion — a hushed silence and reverence.  Grant us peace.  If you don’t see the videos, click here and here.

One of the treasures of Christian worship is the Psalter, affectionately called the “Prayer Book of the Church”. It has been a hallmark of worship and daily prayer of saints past and present, and hopefully for those saints yet to come. In those Psalms we often find the words to comfort and encourage. Words of prayer and praise.  Words that often seem written just for us and for our situation. Words that speak of Christ and His death and resurrection.  In other words, they are Psalms for all saints.

I have a small tome on my desk called the Propers of the Day that has all the propers (parts of the service that change) for each Sunday and feast or festival. The Psalms often permeate each day in the introit, gradual, and of course the Psalm of the Day. They announce the theme of the day in the introit. They offer responses to the other lessons. They, along with the other propers, are meant to be used — whether on the lips of the pastor, choir, or congregation — whether spoken, chanted, or sung —  not for the sake of “having” to do it because it’s listed in the hymnal or tradition says so, but because we “can” use them in Christian freedom to unify, unfold, and accent the day’s theme. If you don’t use the propers, why not? If you do use them, why?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that:

“Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure vanishes from the Christian church. With its recovery will come unexpected power.”

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Seeing is believing.  Those were the words Thomas essentially said when the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”  Thomas had not seen, so the skeptic in him did not believe.  As I reread the Gospel lesson for this past Sunday (John 20:19-31) I am reminded that we do see Christ in Word and Sacraments and there receive all the benefits of His death and resurrection — forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  We hear the Word read and preached.  We put on the baptismal waters that made us His.  We touch the bread of life that was wounded for us.  We taste the blood of Christ poured out for us.  Like Thomas, our faith is strengthened by the word of the Lord and we respond with a joyous “My Lord and my God!”

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Two months ago the LCMS held its Model Theological Conference on Worship.  While I wasn’t there, I enjoyed reading the insights of conference participants via Southern Lutheran Kantor, Fine Tuning, Liturgy, Hymnody, and Pulpit Quarterly Book Review, and Necessary Roughness.

The LCMS Commission on Worship just posted the MP3 files of the conference speakers on their website.  While certainly not a substitute for being there, these MP3s do allow for greater distribution and review of the topics.  Yet another opportunity for exploration.

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