We hear it every Christmas. “HALLELUJAH! FOR THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT REIGNS!”
It’s on every radio station, religious or secular, for-profit or public. We even call it by it’s first word: The HALLELUJAH Chorus. Many commentators – again, religious or secular – recite its origin from Handel’s larger majestic work, The Messiah. And we all – okay, most of us – know enough to stand in reverence when the first strains of The Hallelujah Chorus begin to fill the auditorium.
Where we fall short is in reminding ourselves where Handel got his muse, his groove for this incomparable piece. I’m here to help with that.
I rarely awake with TWO themes running through my mind and spirit. Well, as Gomer would’ve said it, “SuhPRAHZ, suhPRAHZ, suhPRAHZ!” It happened a couple days ago. I had to choose, and it was quite the conundrum there for a few minutes.
Remember the TV series, The Ghost And Mrs. Muir? As the well-groomed ghost of the Captain would periodically say, “Ehoh, BLAWST!”
I did what I normally do when presented with a dilemma. I ran screaming through the house, waking the dogs and greatly annoying my neighbors. I shoved the front screen door as I went out, slamming it against the outdoor side of the garage, yelling, “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE!”
Actually, that was my shadow doing all that. Yeah–like in “Spy Vs. Spy” and a few of the other cartoons from the ORIGINAL Mad Magazine. You know, back when they were actually creative?
What I actually did was stop, grab a fresh cup of hot java, step outside with the birds and the flowers and just listen. . . it wasn’t long before I was able to make a decision, and the result shortly arrived here on the website. Here’s the second one. . .
Oh. Right. You’ll find part of the original lyric for ‘The Hallelujah Chorus’ in Revelation 19.
Somewhere about 20-25 years back I first heard a song performed by The Singing Americans that I’ve loved ever since. The lyric of the song was what woke me this morning in a fresh way. “. . .as I entered the gates of that city, my loved ones all knew me well. As they took me down the streets of Heaven, such scenes–too many to tell . . .”
I’d been thinking about the cumulative effect of Isaiah 6, Revelation 1, 4 and 19. They all give a glimpse of what things are REALLY like where God is. I won’t take time. You need to read it for yourself and decide if people who say, “Well, when I get to Heaven I’m gonna. . .” are really gonna.
Here’s what woke me and still bothers me.
“I bowed on my knees and cried, “Maybe”
“I bowed on my knees and cried, “Sometimes”
“I bowed on my knees and cried, “Not bad…”
“I bowed on my knees and cried, “Eh? Yeah…”
It’s hard to even write in so cavalier a way about finally having an audience in front of The Amighty. No. Not for me. Not ‘Maybe’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘Not bad’ or ‘Eh? Yeah…’.
I think joining in with everyone else there, adding my voice and volume, “Holy” works pretty okay.
“I dreamed of a city called Glory–so bright and so fair. . .”
As far as I’m concerned, “Holy” is the only thing that fits considering I’m on my knees, bowing. . .
Before God Himself, what else is appropriate? Makes me rethink ‘worship’. Considering what is always happening around God as recorded by the Scripture passages I cited, why is it so tough for me to raise my hand or hands, let the tears roll, attend to the rhythms of the music or say “Amen”, “Thank You, Jesus” or clap my hands? According to God’s Word, Heaven’s experiencing one huge celebration that makes ANY performance of Handel’s Messiah seem like one of those tinny, off-key ice-cream truck recordings. (May their tribe seriously go away.)
Yeah. As for me? “I bowed on my knees and cried, “HOLY. . .”
© D. Dean Boone