Crucifixion

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. and at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. - Mark 15:33-37
Crucifixion by John Denno.

Via Dolorosa

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. - John 19:16-18
Here is LEGO by Justin M.

Last Supper

Today is Maundy Thursday, when Christians remember the meal that Jesus had with his disciples on the night he was betrayed, and he "took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
Jake Murray illustrated the Last Supper.

Cleansing of the Temple

"The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!"
Angela Chung illustrates John 2:13-25.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm (here in LEGO by Toltomeja) is a Buddhist temple in Cambodia located just west of Angkor Wat and a little south of Angkor Thom. This was built in the late 12th century as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university, and it its day the complex was home to over 12,500 people. After it was abandoned four centuries ago when the Khmer Empire collapsed, the temple was slowly taken over by the jungle.

Schlemiel on a Wheel

Okay, so I've never gotten the Elf on a Shelf thing for my kids. I've seen it in the stores, of course, and some pretty funny pictures come across my twitter feed (e.g. the elf tied down by a bunch of minifigs, Gulliver-style), but I had to look it up for the full description. Nine years ago three people came up with a great idea that has probably made them a lot of money. They wrote a book about an elf who comes and lives with a family and watches the kids, and at night goes back to report to Santa (hmm, somewhat Orwellian, no?). The key thing is that the book comes packaged with a stuffed elf that the parents move around the house each night, so when the kids wake up they have to go find it. But why should the Christian kids get all of the slightly creepy fun? So now we get Mensch on a Bench and Maccabee on the Mantle. Really. Google them. Before I complain, though, this also seems to be a good money-maker. Joanna Brichetto of Bible Belt Balabusta fame had a laugh at this with her Schlemiel on a Wheel, Schmuck on a Truck, Schnorrer on a Menorah, etc..

First up, the Schlemiel on a Wheel. Joanna is kind enough to explain the terms for all us goys. "Schlemiel is the guy who spills the soup, and the schlemazel is the guy upon whom the soup is spilled." And now I know what Lavern and Shirley were singing about! Yes, I know, I'm dating myself.



Since Joanna lives in the south, she was sure to include the Schmuck on a Truck.



My favorite though, is the Schnorrer on a Menorah. Everybody give a round of applause for really painful puns. A schnorrer is a bum or a beggar.

Happy Hanukkah (with Nanoblock Menorahs)

Well, I'm not sure I approve of non-LEGO building blocks, but it's Joanna, and so we'll let it slide (this time, Joanna). :) She decided that actual LEGO menorahs were too big for her minifigs (but there's Modulex! oh, okay, I'll give it a rest), so she has her fig lighting a Nanoblock Menorah to start the Hanukkah celebration.

Tian Tan Buddha

Hi all,
First up, I just wanted to apologize for my six month hiatus. I've been blogging about LEGO for nine years now, and from time to time I've just gotten a bit run down and distracted from my family of blogs. However, in the meantime, I'm constantly going through Flickr, Brickshelf, and other sites, and probably every day I bookmark a few more things that I keep meaning to post. I've gotten a couple of nice notes asking where I've been, and I guess it's time to come back. Also, during the year I save up LEGO books to review as people are getting ready for Christmas, and want to get those posted. And so, back to blogging. Hopefully I won't have too many interruptions in the near future. I've certainly got a backlog of great creations to feature.

The Tian Tan Buddha (here by Alan Boar) is a 34 meter tall statue of the Buddha seated atop a hill near the Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong. The rooms under the statue include a relic said to include some of the remains of Gautama Buddha. Earlier this year French artist Paulo Grangeon created 1600 paper mache pandas which he then displayed and photographed around Hong Kong, including at the Tian Tan Buddha, as reproduced here in Alan Boar's MOC.

Easter MOCs

I'm putting thee up a little late, but Patrick Harrison posted the Last Supper and the Empty Tomb.

Sagrada Família

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona is the masterpiece of the late Antoni Gaudí. This cathedral was started in 1882, but it is still incomplete. It was consecrated by Pope Benedict only a couple of years ago, and is expected to be complete in 2026. When completed, this cathedral will be one of the most unique and most beautiful in the world, with a modern take on Gothic design features. Harald P recently made a LEGO version as part of the recent Architecture contest on Eurobricks.


Lluis Gilbert made another version.


A much larger version was part of the traveling Piece of Peace exhibit of World Heritage Sites.


Here you can see a close-up of the Nativity Facade from the Piece of Peace display.

Old Ebenezer Baptist Church

The Old Ebenezer Baptist Church was founded in 1886 and has a long history in Atlanta. Most prominent to outsiders, though, is the young pastor who joined his father on the staff in 1960, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Of course we all know his work in promoting nonviolence and fighting against racism in the segregated South, but perhaps some overlook that his religious convictions laid the foundation for this work. For example, I highly recommend reading the book Strength to Love a collection of his sermons, that show how closely his social and political work was tied to his faith. Today the church he preached in is part of the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site. This LEGO rendition was built by Ryan Wood for inclusion in the Legoland Discovery Center in Atlanta and if you compare it to the original you'll see it's an amazing replica.

Good Friday

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him - John 3:16-17

Christopher Baldacci depicts the crucifixion.

Maundy Thursday

Wes Pitter recreated Juan de Juanes' painting The Last Supper, depicting the moment just after Jesus reveals that one of the twelve will betray him.

Holy Week

Last year, Amandamarkel's son illustrated Holy Week in LEGO form.

Palm Sunday:


Clearing the temple on Monday:


Olivet discourse on Tuesday:


Maundy Thursday:


Good Friday:


The tomb on Saturday:


Resurrection on Easter morning:

Bishop

In the recent Colossal Castle Contest IX, Gothano won the 'realistic castle figure' category with his custom bishop. The title of bishop comes from a transliteration of the Greek word επίσκοπος, or episcopos, found in the New Testament. In the early church there appear to have been a few specific offices. Elders were leaders of local congregations (more like house churches), and a bishop oversaw all of these different elders within a geographic region. Deacons had a role of collecting offerings and using them to care for the poor and needy. Within the Roman Catholic church, bishops hold a similar role, overseeing all of the different priests who have parishes in a particular city or area. Gothano's bishop is in traditional attire, with a white cassock (clerical robe), a stole (essentially a long scarf), a mitre (hat) and carrying a crozier (the staff based on a shepherd's staff).

The Lord is my shepherd

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2 by Bricko.

Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. -Psalm 23:4 - here in LEGO by Bricko.

Kinkaku-ji

The Kinkaku-ji, or Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Alanboar built this great LEGO version. He also put it on Cuusoo, which is a site that LEGO uses to measure the public's interest in potential set ideas. I'd love to see LEGO create some of these amazing places of worship as sets. Before you say such a thing would never be done, rival building company Nanoblock has set of Kinkaku-ji along with other world cultural landmarks, so it's not like there is no precedent. Go to Cuusoo and support this great MOC as a potential set. Also, Alanboar has other images at the Cuusoo site.

Hellfire

Perhaps the most interesting and disturbing bit in any Disney movie is Hellfire from the Hunchback of Notre Dame (well, also Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia), here in LEGO formby Jordan Schwartz.

Protect me, Maria
Don't let this siren cast her spell
Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy Esmeralda
And let her taste the fires of Hell
Or else let her be mine and mine alone



Hey, this is probably the only thing I'll ever be able to cross-post between GodBricks and DisneyBricks!

Silent night, holy night

Blake Baer made this nativity as a gift for his mother.