Jesus lost and found

Another preview of Sunday Cantata. Bach didn't write any cantatas for the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, so this Sunday's offering is for the First Sunday after the Epiphany. The libretto meditates on the Gospel selection from Luke 2:41–52, where Mary and Joseph lose the 12-year-old Jesus—and then find Him in the Temple,…

They shall all come from Sheba

This week's episode of Sunday Cantata presents another gem, BWV 65: Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen (They shall all come from Sheba), written for Epiphany 1724. The libretto focuses on Isaiah 60:6, from the historic Epistle (these days, the Old Testament) reading for Epiphany. To whet your appetite, here's the start of the first movement,…

Sorcerers from the East

A sermon preached at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Fareham, on 5 January 2012 Epiphany (observed) Matthew 2:1–12 To hear the sermon, click hear to go to the Our Saviour website. It’s commonly known to anyone who cares to notice: the Western world is changing, it’s changing rapidly, and much of it is not for the…

Epiphany Eliot

Here's a treat for the Epiphany season: a recording of T.S. Eliot reading his Journey of the Magi. There is something wonderful about the grimness of the seemingly tangential reality of the journey, the pointed pun, and the focus on ... oh, hear and read it yourself. It helps to understand that focus to know…