It is the twenty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost, and the last Sunday of the church year. The title of today’s Bach cantata is “Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut” (Praise and honour be to the highest good).

Today’s Gospel reading is John 18:33-37:

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

The text of today’s piece is available here. It contains these words:

The host of heaven gives You thanks,
o Sovereign of all kingdoms,
and those in earth, air, and sea
who live in Your shadow
praise Your creative power,
which has held them all in its consideration.
Give honor to our God!

Happy listening! Soli Deo gloria.

This one, published yesterday, is for the paid subscribers. In it, I answer three questions:

• Would the prosecution be able to appeal a shockingly light sentence (e.g. probation for a rape), and then use the judge’s rulings for the defense as evidence of bias?

• If the prosecution asks of a witness, a question to which the defense should object, but fails (for any reason e.g. “senior moment”), let us refer to this failure as a “non-call”, and a guilty verdict is reached, is the defense afforded the opportunity to include an object to that question, on appeal? On what would it turn?

• [I]t’s one thing for a judge to be hard on a prosecutor in proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt, but a judge can also drive the verdict with his rulings on evidence, protocols and conduct, and the prosecution can’t appeal because of double [jeopardy], no?

I hope the answers were illuminating. Post is here. Subscribe here.