We are pleased to release our newest title: O Perfect Life of Love: Daily Lenten Meditations on J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion. Author Brian J. Hamer is a pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and an active-duty Navy Chaplain. In addition to his experience in conducting and singing in choirs on both coasts, he writes and edits for a wide variety of publishers on theology, culture, and the arts.
As Hamer states in the Introduction, “It is probably just a coincidence that the New Bach Edition of the St. John
Passion by J. S. Bach (1685–1750) divides Bach’s masterwork into the same number of movements as there are days in Lent. This book of meditations places those forty movements of the St. John Passion as a literary and musical stencil over the forty weekdays of Lent—Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, excluding Sundays in Lent—to create a daily listening lectionary. I pray that this careful and deliberate approach to Bach’s masterwork—forty movements in forty days—will assist you, the reader/listener, in your Lenten piety as you behold the life-giving cross, on which was hung the salvation of the world.”
Both the German and English texts are provided to aid in listening, followed by a devotional meditation in which Hamer offers historical, musical, and theological commentary. Enrich your Lenten days by becoming acquainted with or ever more familiar with the St. John Passion through the lens of a Lutheran pastor and musician. Visit the book’s page to find more details, purchasing information, and an excerpt.