Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing all results

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... than it is to get famous. And it is true. There are many rich people in this world, but there are relatively few people whose names are universally recognized. There are fewer still whose names are known for generations after their death. Johann Sebastian Bach, Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso names such as these hold a unique place in human history. And there is one name that stands absolutely alone Jesus of Nazareth. There have been many who have left their imprint on the human enterprise ...

2. Soli Deo Gloria

Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Ron Love

... penitent hearts. Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born in Germany in 1685, was a great composer and church organist. He considered church music to be sacred. Bach once said, “I play the notes as they are written but it is God who makes the music.” Bach’s love for ... last page of his composition. The letters SDG stood for “Soli Deo Gloria,” which means “For the Glory of God Alone.” Bach hoped that when the music was played, it would point toward the glory of God. On this last Sunday of Advent as ...

3. A Little Town of Great Renown

Micah 5:2-5a

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

The name Johann Sebastian Bach has been familiar in church music circles for many years. Bach inscribed all his compositions with the phrase, "To God Alone the Glory." Professor Peter Schickele of the fictitious University of Southern North Dakota discovered an obscure relative, P.D.Q. Bach, known as the most bent twig on the Bach family tree. The name Bach had always been associated with fine music until P.D.Q. appeared on the scene. This fabled genius, P.D.Q. Bach, was referred to as "the worst musician ...

4. Singing Along The Way

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... glory to God. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote at the top of each of his manuscripts "JJ" which stood for "Jesus Juva," or "Jesus help me." At the end of each manuscript Bach wrote "SDG" which stood for "solo dei gloria," or "to God alone the praise." Bach is a part ... , the majority, live in this world as if there is no other. What a surprise there will be when the day of the Lord comes. Bach gives us a prayer and a question to use before the day of the Lord. The prayer is "Jesus help me." The question is "Does it ...

5. Watching Jesus

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... people. And most of all, they could not handle one who spoke of God as directly and as intimately as did Jesus. This was the final blasphemy. So they watched Jesus, these pillars of Judaism; but they didn’t see Jesus. It’s similar to the musical genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. By common consent, we know him to be among the musical masters of all time. But it was not so for his contemporaries. The parishioners at St. Thomas Church often complained about the strange and innovative music that ...

6. Careful in Our Confidence

Luke 14:1-14

Illustration

Wallace H. Kirby

... against him rather than making an alliance with him. They were so hung up on rules, laws and ceremonies, that they missed the heart of faith: God's forgiving love that frees one to live as son or daughter of God. It's similar to the musical genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. We know him to be among the musical masters of all time. But it was not so for his contemporaries. The parishioners at St. Thomas Church often complained about the strange and innovative music that ...

7. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... diminish Daniel’s well-made choices but appropriately gives credit to the God who is worthy. Illustrating the Text God’s gifts may distinguish us before people, but they ultimately give glory to God alone. Biography: Johann Sebastian Bach. A German organist and prolific composer, Bach (1685–1750) is widely revered as one of the greatest composers of all time. His vast portfolio of compositions includes an immense number of chamber, organ, keyboard, and choral works, many of which are still instantly ...

8. What God Sees

Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon

... all Protestants this ultimatum: "Become Catholic or leave." Thirty thousand persons left. They streamed northward to Germany and England. Some came to the new colony established by James Oglethorpe in America where they set up a Lutheran colony near Savannah, in Ebeneezer, Georgia. Some fled to Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach lived. Leipzig was not to be outdone by the other German cities in welcoming these refugees. So moved by their plight and thus inspired to arouse public sympathy on their behalf ...

9. The Child of Promise

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... that the Mighty God, this Holy One who is Ruler over all, comes as the Holy Child. He has been born for us. He is a Son given to us. We can call him brother. In one of his Christmas cantatas Johann Sebastian Bach refers to Jesus as our Bruederlein, our “Baby Brother.” Bach, who is one who understood the remarkable mystery of the incarnation, stated in the simplest terms the full impact of what God did in restoring innocence to humanity with the sending of this tiny brother to us. The full implication of ...

10. The Language of the Heart

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... pick, and he too turned them down. They decided, as one member of the council subsequently wrote, that "since the best man could not be obtained, a mediocre one would have to be accepted." This third choice they hired, the "mediocre" candidate, was Johann Sebastian Bach.(10) Bach, whose music has come to be called "the Fifth Gospel," would later say, "All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul's refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only ...

11. The Language of the Heart

Psalm 98:1-9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... pick, and he, too, turned them down. They decided, as one member of the council subsequently wrote, that "since the best man could not be obtained, a mediocre one would have to be accepted." This third choice they hired, the "mediocre" candidate, was Johann Sebastian Bach.[4] Bach, whose music has come to be called the "Fifth Gospel," would later say, "All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul's refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only ...

12. You Are Invited to a Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... our behalf. Doesn’t that make you nearly delirious with joy? If we understand that we are here simply and solely because of God’s amazing grace, then we can center our worship where it really needs to be centered--on God. Johann Sebastian Bach understood that. On almost all of his manuscripts Bach placed two sets of initials. At the end he wrote the letters, “S.D.G.” and, at the beginning, “J.J.” S.D.G., SOLI DEO GLORIA--to God alone be the glory. And J.J., JESU JUVET--Jesus, help me. (3) That ...

13. A Song of Promise

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... Mary. The Evangelist Luke placed this song on the lips of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, when she visited her relative, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The song celebrates how God turns everything upside down and makes everything right. Johann Sebastian Bach interpreted this great hymn in the beautiful cantata “The Magnificat.” The one who gave real meaning to Mary’s song was our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of mercy which God had spoken to the patriarchs, to ...

14. Soli Deo Gloria

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Mark McGilvey Livonia

"SDG" -- Soli Deo Gloria, "to God alone be the glory." On each manuscript he completed, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote these three letters. When we imprint those three letters on everything we do, we are living as God would have us live. Soli Deo Gloriato -- God alone be the glory. A teacher of the law asked our Lord, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most ...

15. Singing The Song Of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... what their students have written. Agnus Dei was a woman composer famous for her church music. Refrain means don't do it. A refrain in music is the part you better not try to sing. A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals. John Sebastian Bach died from 1750 to the present. Henry Purcell is a well-known composer few people have ever heard of. Most authorities agree that music of antiquity was written long ago. Aaron Copland is one of your most famous contemporary posers. It is unusual to be contemporary ...

16. If Christ Had Not Come

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... all, is far more positive than you seem to recall? Christianity lay behind many of the greatest accomplishments in the last two thousand years, ranging from basilicas and cathedrals in architecture, to Leonardo and Michelangelo in art, to Johann Sebastian Bach in music. The Church has fostered some of the greatest minds ever to enlighten our world—Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, Luther, Shakespeare, Milton, Newton....” (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994, pp. 312-313) “If Christ had not come...” that is the ...

17. The First Commandment: Who's on First?

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Kevorkian, Dr. Death as he is sometimes called, described his attitude about religion on CBS'' 60 Minutes. Said Kevorkian: "Religious believers base their laws and whole outlook . . . on mythology. Religion is an internal, spiritual world. And I have my own with my god, Johann Sebastian Bach. Why not? You invent gods . . . At least he''s not invented." Dr. Death needs to meet the One who is life. We did not invent God. God invented us. Remember the question is: "Who''s on first?" When the living God is on ...

18. A Radical Faith

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . Luther lived with his aunt, his mother's sister, in Eisenach, and would return later in his life to WartburgCastle, which is on a hill above the town, as he was fleeing from arrest. We will look at that next week. Eisenach is also where Johann Sebastian Bach was born two hundred years later. It is a wonderful, beautiful city, and a center of music. Luther, himself, was a musician of no mean talent. It is believed by historians that when he was living in Eisenach with his aunt, he developed his talent for ...

19. Do You Know Your Place?

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the place” Jesus asks his disciples to occupy until he comes. Do you know your place? Then Get Behind Him. You will be guided by grace. You will be fueled by fearlessness. You will be emblazoned with beauty . . . . the beauty of Jesus. Johann Sebastian Bach, who himself sired twenty beautiful children, celebrated in his Christmas Oratorio the birth of “the most beautiful of all human beings.” Why would we not want to share and show that beauty to everyone? Why would we want to hide that beauty under ...

20. Jesus - The Leader of Our Team

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... using a huge, antique organ for his concert. It used a bellows for its pipes. The bellows was hand-pumped by a boy who was behind the screen, unseen by the audience. The first half of the concert, which featured the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, was well received by the audience. All in attendance were thrilled by the organist’s ability at the keyboard of this beautiful instrument. After taking his bows and accepting the ovation of the audience, the famous musician walked triumphantly offstage by a side ...

21. The Coveted Compositions

Illustration

Staff

J.S. Bach's first biographer, Forkel, tells that young Johann Sebastian discovered that his brother had in his music cabinet a special book of compositions by some of the ... brother Johann Christoph was reserving those pieces for his own study or performances and didn't want the talented youngster in his home to perfect the works first. Johann Sebastian clearly coveted his brother's book, however, and in the middle of the night, when everyone else in the house was asleep, he crept down to sneak the anthology ...

The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Showing 1 to 23 of 23all results