https://www.lutheranradio.co.uk/podcast/Sunday_Cantata.php Series combining profound Lutheran spirituality with exquisite music. Pastor Tapani Simojoki introduces a cantata written by Bach for each Sunday of the church year. The cantatas of J.S. Bach form one of the most impressive musical achievements in the history of Western music. Over a period of several years, Bach wrote a new cantata every week to adorn the worship of St. Thomas church in Leipzig - a breath-taking task, producing some of the world’s greatest church music. en-GB Evangelical Lutheran Church of England Evangelical Lutheran Church of England andrew@ferguson.pw episodic false no 3e7060b1-c0ac-51a0-8a2f-0099a5e3c1c8 CC BY ND 4.0 © 2026 Evangelical Lutheran Church of England. Licensed under CC BY ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/). Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word" (John 14:23). A Christian implores Christ to dwell in him and never leave him. Christ promises to make His dwelling place in everyone who believes in Him (John 14:28), which is the source of the Christian’s hope and joy. 2026 25 5cc0f5c42f902991c9dd80b04ab7c22f25305fe4 Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:32:13 "Praise God in His kingdoms" – the Ascension Oratorio. [Translation of the libretto] 2026 24 b128dfffc2fca75187b8383d8989423b48a40a4a Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:32:29 "Until now you have asked nothing in my name" (John 16:24). A call to fervent prayer: since we have transgressed God’s will and failed to believe the Gospel, we must entrust ourselves to His promise to have mercy on us. 2026 23 2fb8d872bbe92fb5c6cceb1403966f313096f52f Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:23 "Where are you going?" (John 16:5). A reminder to Christians not to be falsely attached to this world but always to have in mind the promise of eternal life. 2026 22 8f01fe93f102a9423df5ac6b220dd74b6626139d Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:50 "Weeping, lamentation, worry, apprehension" (John 16:20). Jesus turns our sorrow into joy. 2026 21 e447116b31fefba25b92e2a9983c93c29e501eaf Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:44 "Hear, O shepherd of Israel" (Psalm 80:1). A meditation on Jesus as the Good Shepherd of His flock, who will feed and tend them. 2026 20 36ef81e57a0eea6d001f29bdd0cd056fa56ad7d8 Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:26:38 "On the evening of the same Sabbath" (John 20:19). Jesus is in the midst of His children, and and he is their shield against temptation. [Translation of the libretto] 2026 19 d81528bc44a01481326a0ae26a1083598dfffbb1 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:31:49 "Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands". Written when Bach was only 22, this is one of his finest cantatas. It sets the words of Luther’s great Easter hymn, celebrating Jesus’ victory over death. 2026 18 5ba77e375e2b7b9046a8ece8d290eb246aacc26e Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:32:18 "King of heaven, be welcome". As Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and was welcomed by His disciples, so Christians are called to welcome Jesus in faith. 2026 17 8bdbe2a3b60a0abe87f223e6a6e132f984ab2d5d Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:37:45 "Come, sweet hour of death". The soul’s eager longing to be finally united with Jesus—an encounter that makes the hour of death itself a sweet hour. 2026 16 11f929373deb2105daea1d7cfb2922533c6b7663 Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:14 "I will not let go of you unless you bless me" (Genesis 32:26). A funeral cantata, entrusting oneself to Jesus, as the only trustworthy comfort. 2026 15 2131e01c263273dacd41cd49c83b2ac872ac2c1f Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:28:21 "God’s time is always the best time". One of Bach’s best-known and most beautiful vocal works, this funeral cantata sets a collection of funeral sentences, which remind us of our mortality and call us to place our trust in God’s promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. 2026 14 cb698cf5a7846862f8ad4e8bc5cfa755a9457f24 Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:07 "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul". Bach’s very first cantata, a setting of Psalm 25. 2026 13 e7b69e74211c7011dc584896663503490134925b Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:16 "Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord". A penitential cantata, setting Psalm 130. 2026 12 cc35f1cde2b621c6e7c370403c9d9d25ee974403 Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:32:36 "Jesus took the twelve". A prayer to Jesus to draw us to Himself, to enable us to follow Him, so that nothing will cause us to lose our salvation. 2026 11 1eedfecb7026c5f45f0abd6a7c94e1b77edd1bf0 Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:28:53 "Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy word". A chorale cantata paraphrasing and elaborating on one of Luther’s best-known hymns, calling on God to protect His children by the power of His word from the enemies of the faith. 2026 10 90825256250535e051dfaca2c21060cb3014b4ed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:31:02 "I am content with my fortune". An acknowledgement that everything we have is from God, that all of it is an unmerited gift, and that Christians have the hope of a better reward than what this life offers. 2026 9 be007aaf82ce95754f1e46efd6581d2cc0d028ca Sun, 25 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:27:26 "My sighs, my tears". A call to the troubled and anxious to turn to God in prayer: He will not fail to help. 2026 8 7bab220eb19e71d4d04814e61bc89b4a0e3c2316 Sun, 18 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:24 "My dear Jesus is lost". Mary and Joseph despaired when the boy Jesus was lost to them in Jerusalem (Luke 2), and rejoiced at finding Him. Likewise, the soul to whom Jesus is lost because of sin and unbelief must despair, but rejoices when it learns again to trust Jesus’ word of promise. 2026 7 1bb65a0318569cb6561b0931ad7c388efe3d44a9 Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:26:05 "All those from Sheba shall come". As the wise men from the East came to worship Jesus with their gifts (Matthew 2), Christians, too, are called to offer themselves to Jesus in the confidence that He will graciously receive us. 2026 6 8c75e8a1c16c6070fa6e893ac1ee332807b8612c Sun, 04 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 0:26:05 "The newborn little child". This is a chorale cantata based on a 16th-century Christmas hymn, rejoicing that Jesus’ coming into the world has taken away the condemnation of our sins and opened the way to paradise. 2026 5 8c545885464e9722c363b41ff0747357a247584d Sun, 28 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:22:09 "Prepare the ways, prepare the paths!" A call to repentance and faith in anticipation of the coming of Christ to judge the world. 2026 4 30a19693a2367dc19a36d074a4d71339149b797b Sun, 21 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:51 A chorale cantata paraphrasing and meditating on the ancient Advent hymn, "Saviour of the Nations Come". 2026 3 d4e293e53a581cbf9f3de771e1a103f2022f9c9c Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:26:56 "Soar joyfully aloft". Based on Psalm 24, this cantata in the promised coming of Christ, who is the King of Glory. 2026 2 0eeb3893a640df3f751bc70705909d0600f246e9 Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:36:07 A prayer anticipating the coming of the Saviour of the world. Based on the ancient Advent hymn, "Saviour of the Nations, Come". 2026 1 ef517ef6ebcdcf01e1d644b4554ea31c1de58eac Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:28:51 "Wake, awake, for night is flying". Perhaps the greatest of all the cantatas, based on one of the greatest Lutheran hymns, by Philipp Nicolai. Based on the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25), its subject matter is the love between, and the approaching wedding feast of, Christ and the Church. 2025 52 6e68892510c1b8d64908aa157dd1bcc06c7f29d8 Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:49:48 "Watch! Pray! Pray! Watch!" Since Jesus will soon return to judge the living and the dead, and our lives can end at any moment, Christians ought to be watchful and diligent in prayer - and joyfully confident in the joy Jesus has prepared for them. 2025 51 a76fb192df32464b04624b184476cc221a889391 Sun, 16 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:43:41 "You prince of peace, Lord Jesus Christ". The hymn by Jakob Ebert on which this chorale cantata is based was written as a prayer for peace in time of war. It is an act of repentance over our sins and an entreaty to Jesus, the prince of peace, to bring peace into our present suffering. 2025 50 69697ac2b7481300590d0f3b7f29517d79d0cb45 Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:36 "Ah, how fleeting, ah, how insubstantial". A chorale cantata based on a hymn by Michael Franck, which laments the brevity of human life – and therefore placing one’s trust in God and His eternal faithfulness. 2025 49 832288da2b536763b8fde3c5a7390f49a94e9622 Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:27:22 "A mighty fortress is our God". A triumphant setting and expansion of Luther’s famous battle hymn of the Reformation. 2025 48 50e33d0f866dd39c742ade9da755d97336db7f54 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:32:18 "I believe, dear Lord, help my unbelief". Drawing on the account of Jesus’ healing of the official’s son in John 4, offering comfort to the weak in faith that whoever trusts in Jesus will never be disappointed. 2025 47 c6984d1b0b66eadd1ecb2c59a514d4012c3bad04 Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:33:26 "Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness". A chorale cantata, setting and expanding one of the great Lutheran communion hymns, by Johann Franck. 2025 46 b5e42a4e3c97a4e0e64aadf645c06521a7e0692f Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:31:19 "I would gladly bear the cross-staff". A work for bass solo, this cantata is a declaration of confidence in God’s love through Jesus Christ. Even suffering and death, when received from God’s hand, can be received with joy. 2025 45 8a11d751dd4ead71af049ded5a09167de7d3feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:35 "God alone shall possess my heart". A work for alto solo, this cantata is a response to the double-commandment of love, to love God above all things and your neighbour as yourself. 2025 44 754a9a3325d4f23f3eb12b3f533994c2c82d7069 Sun, 28 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:31:29 "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled". A call to humility in the face of God’s glory and human sinfulness, with a prayer to Jesus to grant such humility. 2025 43 02227f92e2f69750254038e93a9b4ebf58498dd6 Sun, 21 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:31:55 "Christ, who is my life". A reflection on Jesus’ raising of the son of the widow of Nain, this cantata is built around four Lutheran funeral hymns. It expresses the Christian hope that death holds no fear for those whose Saviour Jesus is. 2025 42 0970549c350ecd70eb01ce2910ac8a7cc0fa4f88 Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:38 "Shout for joy to God in every land". An exuberant solo cantata for soprano, calling God’s people to praise Him for His faithfulness. This cantata closes with an extraordinary ’Alleluia’ for soprano and solo trumpet. 2025 41 be503856cd24a68fa094a547a6e9356b970f40e0 Sun, 07 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:31:10 "Jesus, by whom my soul". A chorale cantata based on a hymn by Johann Rist, in which the Christian takes comfort in the sufferings of Jesus for our salvation. 2025 40 1774493aaaf06246caa1fe9755b3d0daad7b3cb5 Sun, 31 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:32:48 "On you alone, Lord Jesus Christ". A chorale cantata based on a hymn by Konrad Huber, a reminder that our loving God is our only lasting hope. 2025 39 d308473804819776345f18837719bc781cbde009 Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:31:56 "Spirit and soul are thrown into confusion". A solo cantata for the alto, based on Jesus’ healing of the deaf and mute man (Mark 7), marvelling at God’s miraculous care for His children. [Translation of the libretto] 2025 38 bbffff327d4e711bae50598d65239f0826030581 Sun, 17 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:35 "My heart swims in blood". This early solo cantata for soprano solo is a reflection on Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18), pleading for the forgiveness of sins. 2025 37 48b8627d1686733d4f54fbe24618777ede604862 Sun, 10 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:28:40 "Take from us, Lord, you faithful God". A chorale cantata based on a penitential hymn by Martin Möller, begging for God’s merciful forgiveness of our sins and release from their just punishment. 2025 36 3a0e2423a6f68560d007b90e2384490fbc836b53 Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:54 "What is the world to me". A chorale cantata based on a well-known Lutheran hymn. The message of the hymn is that the vanishing treasures of the world are nothing compared to the true, eternal treasure, Jesus. 2025 35 7d99e3485a5032921192b33e07a2f2f2afdcf1f5 Sun, 27 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:56 "If God, the Lord, does not stay with us". A chorale cantata based on one of the very earliest Lutheran hymns, written by a friend and colleague of Martin Luther. It is a paraphrase of Psalm 124, reminding us that it is only the grace of God that can save us from our spiritual enemies: sin, death and the devil. 2025 34 3593cd1b5325c2276e97bd3d4f21e7be60c5563c Sun, 20 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:32:01 "The eyes of all look to you". This cantata draws on texts from both the Old and the New Testaments to reassure us that we can trust God since He has provides for us and has promised to care for us. 2025 33 8a9f1faabdfbf9367e27848678390edc4b2a40e9 Sun, 13 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:30:49 "Contented peace, beloved joy of the soul". This cantata for solo alto reminds us that true and lasting peace and joy can only be found in God’s kingdom. 2025 32 f974dbfd8f9fb8e3b89fa67a460a8977596f6e43 Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:33:20 "If thou but trust in God to guide thee". A chorale cantata based on a hymn by Georg Neumark, this work calls on the Christian to trust in God’s goodness and guidance in all circumstances. 2025 31 c52a9624d8c2738443f2c73484a3c936c3af2e48 Sun, 29 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:33:02 "I had much affliction". The distressed soul calls to God for relief, and Jesus responds with the promise of peace and unending care. 2025 29 cadb7c9c24aa839c8558190701200640a1ff9fd9 Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:53:09 "O Lord, look down from heaven, behold". A chorale cantata based on Luther’s paraphrase of Psalm 12. A prayer of the faithful for the protection of God’s holy word against heresy and false belief. 2025 28 320e0483549e0ffe0f42b57c3c9c1311fd70f5d4 Sun, 08 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:28:58 "Share your bread with the hungry". A call for Christians to care for the needs of the hungry and poor – and to give thanks to God for all the good things He has done for us. 2025 27 0a681334c7f65892f56ecb46addff98dcb51562c Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:28 "The Lord, my God, be praised". A chorale cantata for Trinity Sunday, setting the words of this well-known hymn of praise by Johannes Olearius. 2025 26 923c21fb54c41939c00204b221c2f2cbf0528b19 Sun, 25 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 0:29:30