Calendar
Reformation Concert 1 * Cantata Service
Date:
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Time:
7:00pm
Location:
Sanctuary
Description:
Reformation Year 2017
We commemorate this year that on October 31 2017 it was 500 years ago Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg. This event was part of the start of the Reformation of the 16th Century and led to the formation of the protestant churches.
In Martin Luther's own country, Germany, the protestant church musicians generated new church music. they wrote organ preludes, hymns, cantatas, and more. The Lutheran organist Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a cantata, each week, based on Sunday's sermon text. The cantata was sung during the service as they sung the word of God.
Todays evening is a, so called, "Cantata Service": elements of the regular service, with addition of a cantata. There will be scripture organ preludes, readings, hymn singing, collection, and a sermon(ette). The cantata will be sung by the church choir of St John's Vancouver, accompanied by a string orchestra (directed by Terry Fullerton).
The cantata for this evening was written for the Easter service (BWV 4). It is based on a hymn composed and written by Martin Luther, which we have in the Book of Praise as Hymn 30. Luther based his tune and text on an old church song: “Victimae paschali laudes” (which was also the basis for the Genevan tune of Psalm 80!). The readings are from the First letter to the Corinthians ("Christ is our Easter lamb" – 1 Corinthians 5:6–8) and from the Gospel of Mark (the Resurrection of Jesus – Mark 16:1–8).
Join us to experience how a church service in a Lutheran church in Germany could have sounded, and how the cantatas played a role. Since that time the Lord has used J.S. Bach's talents to bring the Word-in-music throughout the world when these church cantatas are performed.
