We need a Hero.

A hero is someone who, apparently, leaps into the unknown, reaching the heights of performance or courage or both. It is a selfless act. Heroes go beyond ability or any reasonable expectations. We can find heroes in the arts, in sports, in war, even in politics. An arts example is Rembrandt. There is technique to his painting, unquestionably. But, where does this extraordinary beauty and life come from. It is so far beyond technique that it is considered impossible by other artists. You can't get there with human ability, but all things are possible with God. To achieve this mastery, it was necessary for Rembrandt to go beyond his technique. Doing so exposed he had to go beyond self, but it was also the only way to reveal the art.

Vocalists have an analogous situation. We find the soprano and tenor voices fascinating because the physics of the vocal instrument is being taken to the edge. This is an enormous act of courage by the singer. He or she is intentionally exceeding their ability to control and focus the voice when they take their instrument to the edge. We, the hearers, "feel" it. It is beautiful and very intense, near the breaking point of the instrument. By stretching beyond comfort and control, the vocalist truly meets the divine and beauty is the result. Bach signed all pages of his music with the acknowledgement to God that it needed. He knew at the end of his talent was music that exceeded the notes. It came from God.

So, I have definite criteria for a hero. He, or she, must exhibit great courage. They must exert themselves to the point of self-abnegation. A little death. Jesus said that he who wishes to gain his life must lose it. At the point where the person crosses over from simply human to fully alive in Christ, he hands his life to God. God's glory is man fully alive! There miracles happen. Rembrandt painted like that. His art goes into the miraculous. Great athletes do this. They do things that look impossible, even to them, upon instant replay. Great singers do this. The reason that the human voice is so fascinating in the upper registers of soprano and tenor is that it has been taken to the breaking point, physically, and beyond. Enormous courage. Losing the self. Surrendering to God. And those with spiritual insight know that this is what they are doing. That's the reason for Bach's signature and acknowledgement. He knew.