Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler: Mr. Bach, it's such an incredible honor to finally talk to you in person and discuss your Prelude and Fugue in D major BWV 532! We know that you composed it between 1709 and 1717. It is a true masterpiece! What inspired you to write it during your time in Weimar?

Johann Sebastian Bach: *chuckles* Please, call me Johann. Well, when I arrived in Weimar in 1709, I was thrilled to be hired by Duke Wilhelm Ernst as an organist and member of the court orchestra. The duke was a real organ enthusiast and encouraged me to push the boundaries of the instrument. It was like having a friend who constantly said, "Go wild, Johann!"

Ilona: *laughs* That must have been a dream come true! And it certainly shows in the complexity and exuberance of BWV 532!

Bach: Indeed! I was still figuring out the whole prelude and fugue structure at the time. It wasn't until later, when I composed The Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722, that I really nailed down the two-section form. In BWV 532, I was like a kid in a candy store, throwing in every texture and technique I could think of!

Ilona: The prelude is a real showcase of your skills, from the intricate manual work and technically hard pedal passages to complex textures and harmonic density. How did you approach composing it?

Bach: *grins* I wanted to give organists a real workout! I started with fast scales for the feet, just to wake them up, you know? Then I threw in some tricky patterns in the manuals to get their fingers dancing. And let's not forget the tempo changes, demanding Alla breve section, and double pedal at the end - I wanted to keep them on their toes!

Ilona: *chuckles* You certainly succeeded there! Now, let's talk about the fugue. That virtuosic subject spanning only a ninth is a thing of beauty. And what a devilish idea to have the second part start off beat! 

Bach: *smiles proudly* Ah, yes! I wanted to show off a bit with that subject, exploring just how much I could do within a relatively narrow range and with shifting the listener’s perception of a beat. I took it on a little journey through various key areas, just to keep things interesting. And that episode with playing around the dominant for 14 measures? That's like the musical equivalent of a cliffhanger before the big finale!

Ilona: This section always gives me goosebumps, and I have to control my excitement while performing! I heard that an earlier version, BWV 532a, was composed around 1708, two years before the one we play today. 

Bach: *nods* Yes, that's right! I was just warming up with BWV 532a. By the time I got to BWV 532, I had a few more tricks up my sleeve. I took that original fugue and gave it a serious upgrade – kind of like trading in a horse-drawn carriage for a sleek new ride!

Ilona: *laughs* I love the analogy! Your Prelude and Fugue in D major continues to inspire and challenge organists to this day. What advice would you give to those tackling this piece?

Bach: *winks* Well, first and foremost, make sure you've got a good supply of coffee on hand – you're going to need it! But in all seriousness, take the time to find your proper placement on the organ bench so that you can reach all the extremes of the pedalboard with ease. Explore the intricacies of the piece and practice all the wild body positions in slow tempo. Dive into the different textures, experiment with articulation, and most importantly, have fun with it! Playing the organ is a joy, and I want that to shine through in every performance.

Ilona: Thank you so much for your insights, Johann. It's been a pleasure speaking with you!

Bach: *smiles warmly* The pleasure is all mine! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a heavenly jam session with Handel and Vivaldi planned. Those guys really know how to party!

Written by Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler in creative collaboration with Claude AI

For over 15 years, this community has donated, volunteered, and shopped at the rummage sale. This sale has made it possible for our students to attend week-long mission trips domestically and internationally. Although funding these mission trips is central to the purpose of these sales, the rummage sale also benefits local communities. 

It’s noon on Saturday, March 23, 2024. This year's rummage sale has ended. The Fellowship Hall and Trinity Terrace are blanketed with donated items that didn't sell. The next day is Palm Sunday. The space needs to be cleared for church events the next morning. Where do these unsold items go? 

This year, unsold items were provided to four primary organizations and ministry groups.  

Ida Showkier - Mission Coordinator, Fountain of Life Church
Ida and her team of volunteers packed several cars and two U-Haul trucks of items. Last year, she took our donated items to the Gila River Native American Reservation and plans to take our items there again this year. She sets out our donated items at parks and community centers and invites individuals and families to take what they need - anything from clothing and kitchen appliances to furniture. She also brings with her donated food items for people to take as well.

Melissa Bates - Infinite Finds
Melissa is the President of Infinite Finds, a thrift store in Cave Creek. Established in 2017 as a 501c3 charitable organization, Melissa's organization provides resources to senior adults in our area needing long-term care. 

Revs. Brandon and Kristin Willett - First Light Fellowship 
Rev. Kristin Willett started the rummage at Pinnacle for the first time in 2009. She and her husband are now pastors at First Light Fellowship in Anthem. When our sale dates line up, Kristen and Brandon have received some of our unsold items and use them for the sale that they host at their church. This year, Kristin and Brandon were able to benefit from our unsold jewelry and borrowed some of our signage and clothing racks. 

The Society of St. Vincent De Paul of Phoenix - Thrift Stores 
Our unsold furniture items were donated to St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores. The money raised at these thrift stores supports the mission of St. Vincent de Paul - to feed, clothe, house and heal those in need.

Thank you for your support of our rummage sale and these local ministries!

One of the adjustments to living in Arizona involves all the new creepy crawly things we don't have in Pennsylvania - most of those things also want to hurt or kill you. One creepy crawler that is new to our family is the Mosquito Hawk. They are a giant mosquito look-alike with gangly legs that somehow make their way by the dozens into your house when you simply open the door to enter or exit. And when your husband leaves the door completely open for hours “for fresh air”, you can certainly count on a colony moving in. 

After our most recent influx of house guests I did some research. Contrary to their common name, they are actually called crane flies and they are not a predator of the mosquito. Thankfully they are harmless. They die within a few days if they can’t escape leaving what can only be described as a crane fly massacre on the windowsills and floors of every room in our house. (Our vacuum cleaner is earning its keep this season.) 

Not long after Easter our 3-year old pointed out the most recent crane fly casualty on her bedroom floor. “Look mama!” “I know - it’s dead. I’ll clean it up.” I reassured her. Instantly she came back at me. “No it’s not dead! It’s alive. LIKE JESUS!” And so went the next few weeks after Easter in our household. Dead bird? No, it’s alive like Jesus! Roadkill on our walk to the park? Yup - that will live too. 

This has led to some thoughtful discussions and lots of reflection on my part. First, I’m amazed she’s learning the story of Easter and it’s clicking in her own small way. Credit to our preschool church school teachers! But I’m also thankful for the sweet and innocent reminders of new life that are actually around us each day. Reminders of how the Good News of Easter is not just celebrated once a year but every day and in every moment. 

The Easter season never ends because we live on this side of the resurrection. This is something I’m incredibly grateful for because we live in a world that reminds us far too often that death is around the corner and life is fragile. And yet because of Jesus we get to live as Easter people with hope that death does not have the final say.

I have a great-nephew, Chase, who at 12 years old knows more about the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel than I would ever hope to know. Why is this? Well, he participates in his Nazarene Church’s annual Bible Quiz. Chase competed at a national level last year and did very well. Truly, he would have been able to answer such questions as this: 

What had David just done before returning to Ziklag at the time of the death of Saul (2 Sam 1:1)? 
A. Defeated the Edomites 
B. Raided the Ziphites 
C. Defeated the Amorites 
D. Defeated the Amalekites

The answer is “D.” How do I know this? Well, I Googled it. These days, that’s how I know a lot of details about the Bible. I look them up. I am proud of my great-nephew and his family for supporting him in learning the Bible in such detail. There are certainly parts of the Bible I know better than 2 Samuel, but I think overall my great-nephew might win in a thorough-going Bible quiz over me, were we to go one-on-one. 

And yet, when I finished my doctoral degree at Princeton Theological Seminary 18 years ago, one of the things that the commencement dignitaries said to us doctoral candidates at graduation was, “Welcome to the company of scholars!” Part of my degree work was based in Homiletics, and the other was New Testament Studies. My thesis was based on retranslating Paul's Letter to the Galatians. I can tell you that I know that book of the Bible really well. 

In a recent sermon, I referred to myself as a “scholar of the Bible.” I could have more accurately said, “As a scholar of the Book of Galatians” and gotten away with it. What I believed I was trying to achieve was “comedic effect” by asserting that “bewitched, bothered, and bewildered” was a justifiable and beneficial translation of the Greek word ἐξεπλήσσετο (exeplēsseto) to help us understand the impact of the statement in Mark 11:18 “the whole crowd was spellbound by Jesus’ teaching.” I was using a bit of absurdity to startle us into a new hearing of the passage.

Was it appropriate to refer to myself as a biblical scholar, when a twelve year old could potentially beat me in a biblical knowledge quiz? Was it a fitting bit of comedy in the service of the preaching of Good News? I’ll leave that for others to decide.

One thing I know is that there are few (or no) genuine “biblical scholars” out there who would number me among their company. You see, biblical scholars write articles and books, and they teach at institutions of higher learning. They travel around to yearly conventions and wrangle over latest theories and perspectives on biblical literature. While I once earned a degree that marked my deep learning in a very narrow field of study, to continue to be a scholar, by the world’s measure, would mean my continuing to do publishable research. I have chosen to be a teacher, preacher, and pastor in a local congregation and to exhibit the passion for the learning I love to do. Much of the learning and teaching is focused on the books of the Bible and the meaning we as a community derive from these ancient texts, so that we can together ask, “How do we understand God better through engaging these texts? How do we understand who we are and what we are to do? How do the world of God and the human sphere interact in such a way that we are encountered by hope, faith and love, and most significantly, love of neighbor?”

It is my hope that I have certain capacities to communicate a love for in-depth learning of biblical texts and topics. This last Sunday we began a class called, “How We Got the Bible.” We had 50 people show up for that class. The first question I posed to the group was, “What good is it to study the Bible critically? Once we learn how the sausage is made, do we return to eating the sausage?” I remember just before I went to seminary 30 years ago, I had a church member say to me, “Don’t go off to seminary and do all that Bible learning, and lose your salvation in the process.” What I can say in response now is, “All that learning has given me a deeper appreciation for the world of the Bible, for the complexities of its texts, for the highly nuanced tasks of translation and interpretation, and for the world-making power of its poetry.” I have a deeper love for the Bible today than ever before, and I want others to join me on this journey of discovery.

So, how did the class respond to the question of “Can you learn too much about the Bible?”  I believe the consensus was, “As we learn together around the Bible, we learn more about ourselves, our neighbors in Christ, and the God to whom the biblical texts give witness.” 

The role of the biblical “scholar” in the church is to facilitate this kind of learning, and I pray that God’s Holy Spirit keep us on the path of faith as we do so.

Easter dawned with rain this year, a reminder of life's constant renewal. Amidst the showers, we are brought closer to the essence of Easter - the resurrection, a profound symbol of rebirth and new beginnings.

This rain, rather than dampening spirits, enriches the celebration of this sacred day. It mirrors the transformative journey of the resurrection, teaching us that renewal often sprouts from the depths of challenge and change. Just as rain revitalizes the earth, the resurrection renews our hope, reminding us that after every hardship comes growth and revival.

In this light, the Easter rain becomes a catalyst for reflection, nudging us towards embracing our own paths of personal and communal rebirth. It encourages us to look beyond the surface, to see the resurrection not just as a historical event, but as a daily invitation to live more fully, love more deeply, and embrace the transformative power of faith.

As we move forward, let the memory of Easter rain inspire us to open our hearts to change, to find strength in the promise of renewal, and to walk together in the light of resurrection hope. In this season of new beginnings, may we all find the courage to embrace the growth and renewal that lies ahead.