Do you have a role model ? If we find a good one, our lives can be in better shape.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is considered to be one of the greatest composers in western music history.  He was more popular as an organist than a composer in his time.  After then, many historical composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin admired his keyboard works.  After  F. Mendelssohn discovered a copy of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in his family library and reintroduced this piece to the world , Bach became the person as we know now.

Even this great composer had his musical role model.  J.S. Bach was more like a local church musician and he didn't travel that much.  The young Bach made a special trip, however, to attend D. Buxtehude's historical Sunday services in Advent, "Advendmusick (Twilight music)", in St. Mary's Church, Lübeck.  He obtained a leave of absence for 4 weeks from his church in Arnstadt, walked the two hundred miles to Lübeck, and was so deeply impressed that he stayed for four months.  

We will have a special Christmas Music Sunday on December 11, and the main part of the musical offerings on the day will be the music of J. S. Bach and his role model, D. Buxtehude(1637-1707).  Both composers are not musically considered as innovators, but they learned from great composers in their time  and established solid foundations for  future musicians.

Having a good role model is so critical for us to form goals in our lives.  Without the one whom we can learn from and check how we have done from time to time with, we can easily get lost in the long journey of our lives.  Who can be the most ideal role model for all of us? Who can give us a way to go perfectly in this sinful, greedy and material world?

I hope that we will recognize our perfect role model, Jesus Christ, and think of the true meaning of His birth, life and resurrection for all of us while enjoying the music of these great church musicians on the Christmas Music Sunday.