Music of Holy Week

Be Thou Welcome, King of Heaven
Bach composed this cantata for Palm Sunday. The first performance was in 1714.



J.S. Bach's Saint John Passion - The Suffering
video excerpt from Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ



Easter song by Keith Green


Jesus who?

For me, Easter is the most important day of the Christian calendar.

Without it Christmas would have little meaning. It would be reduced to a secular winter holiday, that for many it already is. At best it would be a note on a calendar that marks December 25th as a day to remember a man named Jesus. Some curious kid might ask, "Hey, Mom, who is this Jesus on my calendar?" Mom might say, "Uh, I don't remember. Look him up." Upon researching one might find that Jesus was considered to be a nice guy, a little different but very nice. Typically, some people liked him and others did not. What made him remembered was that he offered a new attitude towards life, how to live and how to treat all people. He wanted everyone to feel closer to God. He might have been a little delusional - he did offer eternal life. These ideas intrigued many, but the government thought that he was dangerous and that he might want to usurp their power; after all he said that he was the Son of God. Even some religious people felt threatened by his authority. He was crucified and that was that.

But for those of us that believe in the man that called himself the Christ, God in the personage as his own son. His story did not end with his crucifixion, for Easter represents the promise. The promise of eternal life in a world that is beyond our imagination, so incredibly wonderful and beautiful - a place where life is fair, where everyone respects others and treats them accordingly; a place where all is well, no suffering, a perfect place where God's love will be the atmosphere that we live in.

To some extent I can experience Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. We all have felt sorrow, loss, regrets, betrayal, pain, unfairness. But Easter is beyond my grasp of truly understanding. With the exception of Christ, I do not know of anyone that has risen from the dead. I am glad that I do not have to take a test explaining it. All I have to do is believe, and believe I do.

Neither the best sermon nor the most glorious music can fully express the wonder, the grandeur, the holiness of the Easter experience and promise. Perhaps Handel's Hallelujah Chorus comes the closest to giving me the feeling that I want to have on Easter morning, on every morning - that our God, our Messiah can over come all, that our God is forever and ever.

A Happy Easter to you.


Andre Rieu singers and orchestra with the Harlem Gospel Choir -
performed in the Radio City Music Hall


from post of March 2010








picture credit:
http://anthonydoes.wordpress.com/
posted by Anthony & Sonja Does

...and then the bottle cap

For years and years kids and adults have collected bottle caps, and occasionally I will stumble across a few that I liked and dropped in a kitchen drawer. A bottle cap - such a simple little thing, but in 1892 it was a big deal.


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William Painter invented the cap called the 'crown cork' and later founded the Crown Cork & Seal Company of Baltimore. They became a leader in the manufacturer of packaging products, and today, Crown Holdings, Inc. operates from 139 plants located in 41 countries. The little metal caps have been used as substitutes for lost game pieces, wheels on hand made toy cars, and transformed into jewelry.

Crafters have come up with many ways to use them.



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oh yeah




They have even made their way into videos.





Recently at A Frayed of Fibers, Wanda had a giveaway for a bottle cap key chain creation of her own, and thanks to the Muse of Luck I won. Wanda gave me the choice of using an initial or a picture. I emailed her a picture of Mimbo, our youngest cat, and told her the cat or the initial ‘M’ would be great.

Which did she choose? She not only included both items on the key chain, but sent a necklace with Mimbo’s picture. I am telling myself that I should send the necklace to my daughter who is away in school - technically Mimbo is her cat.






















see the kitty charm on the end - just that little extra























Wanda, thank you, thank you, and thank you.

Wanda is a crafter of many items, and a serious quilter.


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You can see more of her lovely works on her site at A Frayed of Fibers.




photo credits:
1.http://www.crowncork.com/about/about_history.php
2.http://brokeassstuart.com/2010/05/19/diy-five-easy-bottle-cap-crafts/
3.Wanda of http://needlewings.blogspot.com