St. Stephen Lutheran Church

Announcements

Trunk or Treat Event @ St. Stephen

Everyone is invited to our “Trunk or Treat” Saturday, October 25 @ 10:30am. 

We are looking for people to host a trunk, 

donate individually wrapped candy, and help with set up & clean up.  

Look for a sign up sheet in the church lobby!

KFUO Radio, the broadcast voice of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, shares Christ for you anytime, anywhere on KFUO.org via worship services, Bible and theology studies, practical talk programs, and sacred music. Find programs on demand at kfuo.org and wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on social: @KFUOradio on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

CHRIST FOR YOU this week on KFUO AM850 & kfuo.org: On Sharper Iron (weekdays at 8:00 a.m. CT) we are beginning a new series: "Letters from Prison," which will take a look at Paul's letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and to Philemon. Tune in to Thy Strong Word (weekdays at 11 a.m. CT) as we continue our study of Matthew. This week's episodes will take us through chapters 12 and 13. Don't forget to join us on The Coffee Hour (weekdays at 9 a.m. CT)! This week, we'll be starting a new series, "Prepared with a Reason"; sharing updates from some of our LCMS missionaries; and discussing the Nicene Creed with Rev. Timothy Winterstein! Find your favorite programs on demand at kfuo.org or in the KFUO Radio app!

 You’re invited! Lutheran High School Northwest is hosting an Open House for prospective families of all grade levels on Wednesday evening, October 22! Our hour-long, guided tours – beginning every 10 minutes from 6:30-7:30 - provide an in-depth look at our school and our outstanding academic and extra-curricular programs. Our students and staff focus on Christ, inside and outside the classroom, and we strive to live out our Mission Statement of “Learning for Life! Leading in Truth!” This makes Lutheran Northwest an ideal environment for your child to thrive and grow during the important high school years. Check us out at our Open House and learn how we can partner with your family to help prepare your student for a successful future in today’s challenging world! RSVPs preferred but not required for this event. Sign up on our website at www.LutheranNorthwest.com/events. 

“Bachtober”- A Note From Music Department

Where is the music from Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) found in our Lutheran hymnal? In a variety of places. 

“Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light” is a Christmas tune that begins our journey at hymn 378. “ ‘Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here” appears as a Transfiguration hymn 414, and is also used to observe the New Year as hymn 898, “The Ancient Law Departs.” In Holy Week, the Passion Chorale appears as hymn 449, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” -the tune was originally composed by Hans Leo Hassler  (1564-1612), but the setting that we cherish was written by J. S. Bach. In the Redeemer section, we discover a hymn more commonly associated with Christmas that other times in the Church year, hymn 546, “O Jesus So Sweet, O Jesus So Mild.” The tune originated from a church songbook in Cologne in 1623, but once again it is Bach’s setting that makes it so memorable. We must also mention hymn 516, “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying,” in the End Times section and hymn 668, “Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You” in the Church Militant section. While both use the same tune credited to Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608), the stirring Wachet Auf is one of the chief melodies used by Bach in his Cantata No. 140, “Sleepers Awake” (1731). Finally, Bach took Ein Feste Burg written by Martin Luther in 1529 and gave us the isorhythmic (non-syncopated) version of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” found at hymn 657. 

According to John Julian in the Dictionary of Hymnology (1907), “In his own time, Bach was highly regarded as organist and teacher, his compositions being circulated as models of contrapuntal technique. Four of his children achieved careers as composers; Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Chopin are only a few of the best known of musicians that confessed a major debt to Bach’s work in their own musical development. 

Some might assert that our hymnal should include more Bach selections, given the incredible power and influence of his musical genius. And whether you lean more toward traditional or toward a contemporary styling, it is to be hoped that the observation of Bachtober here at St. Stephen is both pleasing and inspiring to listeners and participants alike.