“What Bach Teaches Us” by Hugh Whelchel

“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is derived from the Cantata “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (“Heart and Mind and Deed and Life”) by JS Bach.

“[The famous composer Johann Sebastian] Bach lived in Germany in the first half of the eighteenth century…[Bach] was an accomplished organist, yet the genius of his work as a composer would not be discovered until 80 years after his death.  This humble man, who [was later admired by Mozart and Beethoven and] would become the Baroque Era’s greatest organist and composer, wrote most of his music never knowing if it would ever be played by anyone other than himself.

Bach was not only a musician but also a theologian whose medium was music.  [Influenced by his Lutheran upbringing, Bach] clearly understood that one of his callings was to write music to the glory of God.  In fact, at the end of every one of his musical scores, he would write Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone).

An article in Christianity Today about Bach ends with the following quote:

‘But music was never just music to Bach.  Nearly three-fourths of his 1,000 compositions were written for use in worship.  Between his musical genius, his devotion to Christ, and the effect of his music, he has come to be known in many circles as “the Fifth Evangelist.” ‘

The Link Between Work, Worship, and Service

Bach understood the essential connection between work, worship, and service that many in the church today have forgotten. The Hebrew word avodah used in the Old Testament can be translated three ways―as work, worship, or service.

• ‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work (avodah) it and take care of it’ (Gen 2.15).
• ‘Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, This is what the Lord says:  Let my people go, so that they may worship (avodah) me” ‘(Ex. 8:1).
• ‘…But as for me and my household, we will serve (avodah) the Lord’  (Josh 24:15).

One Foundation, One Purpose

The Latin word vocātiō means ‘a call or summons’ and it’s where we get the word, ‘vocation.’  God has created us in His image and called us to do everything in our lives, including our vocation, to his glory.  We are to be wholehearted in our love for God.

As Austin Burkhart points out, avodah gives us a picture of a wholehearted faith, a life where work, worship, and service come from the same foundation.  For those of us who believe, that foundation is Christ.  The apostle Paul writes, ‘For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor. 3:11).  For those of us who, by his grace, have built our lives on Christ, work, service, and worship flow out of our lives as a response to what he has done for us.

Bach is often quoted as having said, ‘The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.’  [It is a testament to his faith that Bach would maintain this belief despite losing many of his children.]

Bach understood the interrelationship between work, worship, and service in his vocational calling and so should we.”
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Hugh Whelchel is Exec. Dir. of the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics https://tifwe.org/ and author of How Then Should We Work?:  Rediscovering the Biblical Doctrine of Work.