Sunday Music: Bach Motet BWV 226
It is the Day of Pentecost. The title of today’s Bach piece, a motet, is “Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf” (The Spirit gives aid to our weakness).
Today’s Gospel reading is John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15:
The Work of the Holy Spirit
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
. . . .
I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
The text of today’s piece is available here. Here are all the words, which celebrate the Holy Spirit:
1. Chorus
The Spirit gives aid to our weakness. For we do not know for what we should pray, what is proper; but the Spirit itself intercedes for us in the best way with unutterable sighs. He, however, who examines hearts, He knows what the Spirit’s intention is, since it intercedes for the saints according to that which pleases God.
2. Chorale
You holy fire, sweet comfort,
now help us joyfully and confidently
to remain constantly in Your service,
although trouble is not driven away from us!
O Lord, through Your strength prepare us
and sharpen the dullness of the flesh,
so that we might battle here nobly,
pressing to you through death and life.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
The beginning of the chorale contains words from Martin Luther’s Pentecostal hymn “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord.”
Happy listening!
[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]
Jesus peaks a paradox here, for he is tied to the holy spirit a well as the Father.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 4:54 pmSpeaks, notable, God as father, only 14 times in the
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:01 pmentire old testament.
There’s also the matter of why the apostles were gathered on Pentecost to begin with.
Kishnevi (54fe57) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:05 pmhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+19&version=KJV
The odd thing, is this was prophesied in isiah, its
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:10 pmstriking how they could ‘read the writing on the wall’
Couldn’t, from Jesus first preaching it was all leading up to this.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:18 pmOdd fact
Kishnevi (54fe57) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:26 pmA co-worker of mine attends a Pentecostal church, and had no idea of what Pentecost is.
It’s true she only goes because a family member belongs to the church, not because she is Pentecostal herself. But still…
The choice of word from Aramaic to Greek was the
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:27 pmpersonal, not the expression of Gods sovereignty
I meant a seeming paradox, because Jesus had been present in genesis and will be back in revelations.
Mirroring the ‘man of sin’ (2 thessalonians) was in the garden and will end up banished forever.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:49 pmSo one looks at the great potential opportunity, afforded the world at the royal wedding but because rev skinner was your typical tranzi ‘touchy feely’ preacher, OT was squandered.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 5:53 pmThe Greeks are still debating whether St. Augustine thought the Holy Spirit proceeded only from the Father or from the Father and the Son. On my part, I only just found out (or had forgotten) that during Pentecost we don’t kneel during the consecration of the Gifts.
nk (dbc370) — 5/20/2018 @ 6:01 pmNow in that light, and in tandem with 2 thessalonians a certain theory to be suggested, he wouldn’t be a political but a religious leader.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 6:02 pmWell therein lies the mystery, maybe more prayer and meditation will lead to the answer.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 6:04 pmFor as we were reminded John the baptist who announced the coming of the messiah prayed, Jesus prayed incessantly.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 6:09 pmIts true that faith is the evidence of things unseen, but that’s what makes it so powerful.
narciso (d1f714) — 5/20/2018 @ 10:09 pmI have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.
bandar piala dunia (37a4d8) — 5/26/2018 @ 5:39 am