Christmas Song

Although my goal is always to only write about things I adore and to focus on what I love, I can’t start this post off without telling you about something I don’t like.

I don’t like Dave Matthews Band.

I know, I know. Everybody loves Dave Matthews. Maybe this has something to do with why I don’t like them- I just have to be different. Who knows.

So despite my dislike of DMB, I am currently addicted to this song. It popped up on my Sufjan Stevens Christmas Pandora Station this week, and I was instantly hooked. To me, the biggest thing  that makes good music is lyrics that allow you to see the world in a different way; that express something you wish you had the words to express. And this song totally does it.

It’s so beautiful. I love the simplicity of the imagery of Mary and Joseph, the beauty of what communion is, and the overarching “love, love, love….” It gives me chills.

She was his girl; he was her boyfriend
She’d be his wife; make him her husband
A surprise on the way, any day, any day
One healthy little giggling dribbling baby boy
The wise men came, three made their way
To shower him with love
While he lay in the hay
Shower him with love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around

Not very much of his childhood was known
Kept his mother Mary worried
Always out on his own
He met another Mary who for a reasonable fee, less than
Reputable as known to be
His heart was full of love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around

When Jesus Christ was nailed to the his tree
Said "oh, Daddy-o I can see how it all soon will be
I came to shed a little light on this darkening scene
Instead I fear I spill the blood of our children all around"
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children’s all around

So I’m told, the story goes
The people he knew were
Less than golden hearted
Gamblers and robbers
Drinkers and jokers, all soul searchers
Like you and me, like you and me
Rumors insisted he soon would be
For his deviations
Taken into custody by the authorities
Less informed than he
Drinkers and jokers, all soul searchers
Searching for love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around

Preparations were made
For his celebration day
He said "eat this bread and think of it as me
Drink this wine and dream it will be
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children all around"
The blood of our children all around

Father up above, why in all this anger have you fill
Me up with love
Fill me love love love
Love love love
Love love
And the blood of our children all around

Have something you adore? Leave a comment below or email it to adoretoday at gmail dot com.

Hark!

 

Do you ever hear the same thing over and over, and then all of a sudden one day hear it with fresh ears? With as much as I listen to Christmas music, I've probably hear Hark The Herald Angels about 50 times this season, but when we sang it at church tonight, the words just really struck me.

It was like I realized all over again what Christmas means and how BIG a deal Jesus's birth was. What it must have meant for the people who were alive when he came, how much hope it gave them. And how much hope it gives us. I probably can't describe it with the right words, it was just one of those "aha" moments. 

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Have something you adore? Leave a comment below or email it to adoretoday at gmail dot com.

Hallelujah!

My friend Summer invited a bunch of us to a Messiah sing-a-long (which I think fancy people just call a "Messiah Sing"). I had heard of these for several years, but had never been to one, so when she knew of one going on. I jumped at the chance. My years in choir gave me plenty of opportunity with good ole Handel (I'd like to see a show of hands what choir graduate hasn't done Hallelujah Chorus at least five times). We did Messiah in high school with the orchestra my junior year. But it's been a good 8 years since then. So I was excited to get back in there and sing it again. 

As we walked in, we were given our programs and this.  

Oh. Yeah. That's 252 pages of music. Get comfortable folks.

We chatted from our front row seats (score!) for quite some time. I took some pictures of the inside of the gorgeous church, which I heard someone say has the largest pipe organ in Texas. I'm not going to argue. 

It was beautiful. The music was great. It was fun being back in a real choir, if only for the evening. It made me realize how much I miss singing. The soloist (who actually did most of the sining for the evening) were amazing.  Shannon and I had a blast singing (and in many cases, mumbling) the alto parts when it got to the Chorus pieces. When they got to the Hallelujah Chorus, everyone stood, and we ended the evening belting out "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" at the top of our lungs. When it ended I was ready to do it all over again. One more time, everybody!

It  was a great evening that put me in the real Christmas spirit. Hallelujah!

Have something you adore? Share it in the comments, or email adoretoday at gmail dot com.

Christmas Lights

Coldplay came out with a new single yesterday. 


It's about Christmas. 


I adore both of these things. 


I love my boys so much- Chris, Jonny, Will, and Guy. I know that Coldplay has millions of fans, but somehow I feel like they are mine. Getting to see them from less that 30 feet away at their concert last summer was amazing beyond words. 


 I saw a behind the scenes look at the making of the video the other day, and got excited for December 1, when the single was going to come be released. I was not disappointed. 

 Image Source

I don't know what I love more- the colorful vaudeville piano, the fireworks going off above the Thames, the violin-playing Elvises (is that how you pluralize Elvis?), the backdrop of the stage complete with man in the moon, moving waves, and giant fish eating tiny sail boats. (All of this somehow, was very tastefully done. Only Coldplay could pull that ridculousness off and make it look good.) I have to say though, I got a huge kick out of googling the Latin phrase that was above the stage "credo elvem etiam vivere." I could piece together "credo" as believe and "vivere" as live and expected it to be some grand statement about life, or Christmas, but couldn't help but smile when the google search returned "I believe Elvis lives." 


They're silly, those boys. I love it.


Anyway, here's  the video. Enjoy!

Spin, Batman, Spin

Spin class this morning included the best motivational music in a workout class.

Ever.

Imagine this-

plus

I play a lot of movie soundtracks in my classroom, so when I heard Hans Zimmer amongst all the Brittney Spears and Black Eyed Peas, I had to practically force myself to remain seated. I love his work, and Batman Begins is one of the frequenters of my Thomas Newman (who I do truly do adore) station.

Talk about putting you in the right mood. I wish I could put it on here so you can hear it. (Note: If you look it up on itunes, I think it’s track number 8- Antrozous. You could at least hear a 30 second sample.)

Music makes all the difference.