Back in college, one of my history professors commented on the need for a pastor to have good quality “sermon writing music”, which in his opinion, was works of a Classical or Baroque nature. Half sarcastically, he pointed out that the alternative and heavy rock to which we usually listened probably wouldn’t be very conducive for writing a sermon that expressed God’s truths to God’s people.
To a certain extent over the years, I’ve learned to take that to heart. I still like listening to the alternative and classic rock of my college years, but I’ve also learned to appreciate music that could be considered “sermon writing music” - a wide variety of classical, choral and organ music, as well as some movie soundtracks and contemporary works. The advent of iTunes has made that even more appealing as I’ve been able to compile a library of “sermon writing music” on my laptop. I’m always on the lookout for new additions to the library, such as the 2007 release of Paul Gerhardt: Die schönsten Choräle (Paul Gerhardt: The Most Beautiful Chorales) by der Bach-Chor Siegen, which I purchased on iTunes this past winter.
Some time ago, a post came across my newsreader (Thanks, Paul!) about a website that offered free digital recordings of the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach - an ongoing project sponsored by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance and recorded by Dr. James Kibbie on original 18th-Century German organs. Ninety-five works have been recorded so far and the project of 265 works is expected to be complete in 2009. I strongly recommend checking it out for yourself and maybe downloading a little more “sermon writing music” for future sermon writing (or whatever purpose you might have for it!). Whatever the style of music you like to listen to, this collection of music is well worth the price!
Posted in Church History, Lutheran Resources, Pastoral Resources | Tagged bach, james kibbie, bach organ works, sermon writing music, baroque, organ music | 1 Comment »
As with most other areas of the country, high gas prices have made ministry (and life in general!) much more challenging in recent months, especially since prices shot past $4.00 a gallon. (By the way, with the lapse of a county gas tax cap yesterday, the local prices displayed to the left are actually “low” compared to current prices here.)
supplement one’s Bible reading. Instead Prof. Bivens digs deep into the concept of personal spiritual growth and the role spiritual disciplines can play for good or ill in one’s personal devotional life. He primarily focuses on the ancient discipline of “divine” or “spiritual reading” (lectio divina) - Reading, Meditation, Prayer & Contemplation (92). He takes the reader through the history of this discipline, noting its potential dangers, tensions and challenges. With these in mind, he then highlights the blessings of taking such an approach to the use of devotional materials, particularly if one makes a “long-term commitment” to cultivating “a personal version of the lectio divina” (104). He concludes with some final encouragements, some sample exercises, and some personal, qualified recommendations (with caveats where necessary). Personally I found the article quite enlightening and worthy of a careful read. This is not an article you want to rush through (nor is it really possible!), and I wonder if that was perhaps the author’s intent.
