Category: God’s Beauty

Posted on

Johann Sebastian Bach (RIP), July 28, 1750

Robert Shaw1 Shaw founded the Robert Shaw Chorale in 1948, one of the most renowned professional choral groups in the United States. The group was active until 1967 and made numerous recordings during its existence.

In addition to his work with the Chorale, Shaw was also a noted symphony conductor. He served as the music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from 1967 to 1988. Under his leadership, the orchestra grew in both size and stature, earning numerous awards and accolades.

Shaw received many awards and honors throughout his career, including 14 Grammy Awards. He was also a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1991 and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1992. suggested that Bach may “be the single greatest creative genius of the Western World” and that the B Minor Mass may be “his greatest achievement.” Although this piece employed the texts of the Ordinary Mass, it is, unlike others of the time, too massive for any actual worship service. Bach never heard it as a whole. But we can.

It is a musical, liturgical, and theological celebration of the life and worship of the whole church catholic, thus a gift to the world.

Bach – Mass in B minor BWV 232 – Van Veldhoven | Netherlands Bach Society

“Cadences are where they should be, order is linked with freedom, and an unusually gracious ebb and flow are part of Bach’s music. Eliot Gardiner says it chips away at toxicity, chastens, elates, and cleanses.”

Paul Westermeyer, “Bach, Johann Sebastian,” Dictionary of Luther and the Lutheran Traditions p, 70.

For those with less time to wonder, here are a few shorter compositions, some of his most popular, slightly reimagined.

Ian Post – Air on a G String Bach
Ardie Son – Choral No 59 Bach
Ardie Son – Bachs Cello Suite – Reimagined

+++

Posted on

The New River – Morning Mist

The New River
Revelation 21 & 22

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 

The River of Life

22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. 

If you would like to see more videos just click on the category “God’s Beauty.”

Companion Post

Taking The Scenic Route Through Life

+++

Posted on

Arches NP: The Sand Dune Arch Trail

As I stepped onto the Sand Dune Arch Trail in Arches National Park, the early morning sun was casting long, dramatic shadows that danced on the red-orange sandstone formations. The air was dry, carrying the faint scent of sagebrush and juniper, a signature perfume of the Utah desert.

The trail, a mere half-mile long, was easy, but the scenery was anything but ordinary. It was like stepping onto another planet, the landscape a surreal painting of wind-sculpted arches and towering spires. The centerpiece, the Sand Dune Arch, was a marvel of nature’s architecture, a testament to the power of wind and time. Nestled between two sandstone fins, it was a hidden gem, and no doubt a sanctuary of shade in the desert’s unforgiving heat, if you visit during the summer. But I was there during the coolness of early spring. The best time to go.

As I walked, the sand beneath my feet shifted, each step a crunch in the otherwise silent expanse. Upon reaching the arch I sat, taking a moment to appreciate the quiet, the grandeur of the arch above me, and the way the light filtered through, casting an ethereal glow.

The Sand Dune Arch Trail, though short, was a journey through time, a glimpse into the raw, untamed beauty of nature.

If you would like to see more of these picture slideshows, click on the category God’s Beauty.

+++

God’s Beauty