Being Like Bach

Posted by laurieetta on October 2, 2025 in Being Human | 1 Comment

When I sit down to write a sermon, I often have classical music playing in the background. Music with lyrics distracts me, but instrumental pieces help me focus. As I write, my prayer is always the same: that the words are from God and bring glory to God alone.

Johann Sebastian Bach shared that same desire. Born in 1685, Bach lost both parents by the age of ten. Despite this hardship, he committed himself not just to making music, but to making music for the glory of God. Many of his works are explicitly biblical, so much so that Albert Schweitzer once called him “the Fifth Evangelist,” placing him alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

In this famous portrait, Elias Haussmann paints Bach holding a page on which three lines of musical notation can be seen, along with the description that translates: “triple canon for six voices by J.S. Bach.” The choice to depict Bach holding that specific canon is often interpreted as emphasizing his identity as a composer, scholar, and a master of contrapuntal* art.

By age seventeen, Bach was already serving as a church organist, soon taking charge of the music ministry. In Weimar, Germany, he wrote a new cantata every month—and for three years, produced one every single week. At the time, no one could have imagined the lasting impact of his music, yet today his legacy is known worldwide.

What’s most inspiring, however, is the way Bach framed his work. At the beginning of each manuscript, he wrote “J.J.”—Jesu Juva (“Jesus, help me”). At the end, he added “S.D.G.”—Soli Deo Gloria (“To God alone be glory”). His compositions were literally bracketed in prayer and praise.

Being Human connection: Oh, that our lives would be the same! That we would begin each day asking Jesus for help, and end each day giving glory to God.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” —1 Corinthians 10:31

“You are…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory.” —Isaiah 43:7

Featured art: Johann Sebastian Bach, Elias Gottlob Haussmann, 1746

* Contrapuntal comes from the word counterpoint (literally “point against point”), and it describes a style of music where two or more independent melodies are played or sung at the same time, yet fit together harmoniously.