TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA : A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

Greetings once again dear readers. I am coming to you LIVE from the "afterglow" of an evening spent with Trans Siberian Orchestra...A couple of posts ago I told you that I had experienced "A Christmas Miracle" and was the happy recipient of FREE TICKETS to see Trans Siberian Orchestra:

The Happy Recipients of said Tickets
(Thanks People's National Bank!)

The seats were "Club Suite" so there were 12 comfy, theatre style seats arranged in a small room...complete with stocked refrigerator, snacks and personal attendant. I don't know about most of YOU, but THIS Franciscan is not used to such VIP treatment.

The Group in the Club Suites Box
(the stage is right behind us...wow!)

First let me say that the videos and photos were NOT taken by me, but by someone (who shall remain nameless) who attended the event with me...the You Tube vid was already tagged one of my faves...

To give you but a tiny sample of what we experienced, allow me to present to you one of the most powerful moments in the evening:

Anyway, the striking event of the evening, (other than the world class musicians and the amazing light show)

is that TSO seemed to blatantly refuse to take "Christ" out of Christmas. Theirs were NOT the Jingle Bells and Santa type Christmas diddys...they (in great classical fashion) played Joy to the World, Silent Night, O Come O Come Emmanuel, etc. etc. and had an ongoing narrative speaking of an angel who appeared in a dream to a non believer...who, before all was said and done, not only became a believer but was restored in heart and hope. I truly left feeling like I had been in a 3 hour church service...(A very LOUD and BRIGHT 3 hour church service.) A spiritual experience to be sure...I felt my spirit renewed and hope welling up within me.

All that to say a few things: If you have not listened to TSO, read all about them on their website: Trans SIberian Orchestra and then why not go online and listen to a selection or check out YouTube and see the dancing lights (most always composed to Trans Siberian Orchestra's music) Buy their CDs (You'll be glad you did) or go to their concerts (you'll REEEEEEEALLY be glad you did).

Support your local classical symphony orchestra and musical artists!

In my thinking, Christmas is not ALWAYS about "Silent Night" but also about the exuberant joy of God's gifts...music, beauty and art...and about THE Greatest Gift, Jesus incarnate.

(One of my favorite scriptures is John 1...Listen to verse 14 and how it reads in the Message Bible:

"The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
True from start to finish."

Amen!