Bass Jeremy Wong sings from J. S. Bach’s Cantata 82, Ich habe genung, during worship on February 2, the Presentation of Our Lord

February 2 is the Presentation of Our Lord, an important day in the church year that doesn’t get much attention since it rarely lands on Sunday. It does this year, so Music Director Miguel Felipe decided to seize the opportunity and include a Bach cantata for solo bass in this morning’s 10:30 am worship service. Cantata 82, Ich have genus (I have enough) was sung by bass Jeremy Wong, accompanied by members of the Bach Chamber Orchestra.

The Presentation of Our Lord (also known as Candlemas or the Feast of the Purification) commemorates the day when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, as required in the Jewish law. There they met Simeon, an old man who had been told he would not die until he had seen the messiah. Simeon recognizes Jesus and says that he is ready to depart (die) because he has seen the messiah, the light of the world. This story, recorded in Luke, is the source of the text Nunc dimities (Now let your servant depart in peace), which is sung each day at Compline.

In Bach’s day, Candlemas was an important feast, and he wrote five different cantatas for the celebration. Cantata 82 was one of his favorites, and we were happy to hear the beautiful performance as part of worship.