Hallelujah

I had the great pleasure to attend tonight’s Rotary Christmas Concert, which we hosted. Musical artists and choirs, from several churches in our community, came together to share their musical talents and their joy for the holiday season. Both the large and small sanctuaries were filled and overflowing. Chairs were brought in and set up along the back wall and alongside the pews to make room for more guests. It was a beautiful sight to behold! The energy produced by that many people is quite amazing! The audience was about as diverse as you could ever imagine. We were packed in tight, but no one seemed to care.

And then, Owen Sammons brought us his gift of song: Cloverton’s Hallelujah Christmas (an adaptation of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah). Owen’s talents are widely known throughout our community, but something was different this time. Tonight, the ‘hallelujahs’ seemed to come from somewhere deep within…as if this group of souls were fed by the beat of just one, shared heart. Each time, as Owen reached the chorus, the congregation sang along: clear tones ringing in the air and echoing from the very depths of this one, beating heart. Across the crowd I could see a few folks wiping away tears. It seems it wasn’t just me who felt the spirit.

At this time of year, many people come to church looking for happiness. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, right? We are not in the business of happiness. We are in the business of joy. Lillian Daniel says, “happiness is a feeling, brought on by inner and outer circumstances, but joy is a theological concept that speaks to more than feelings or circumstances.” Joy is where deep pleasure and deep meaning collide and can occur in unhappy situations or circumstances. As Daniel puts it, “it can take place on either side of the hospital waiting room door.”

Harvard psychology lecturer Tal Ben-Shahar says, “Joy springs up in that odd moment when despair turns madly, unexpectedly, against all odds towards hope.” That is what Advent is all about, and that is where the work of the church gets serious. As Leonard Cohen put it in his original song, “Love is not a victory march, it’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.” The people of God, gathered in one communion, hearts beating as one, singing praise to God for this incredible gift of Jesus the Christ, tears flowing for our brokenness and incredible joy to be together in this brokenness. With every chorus a collective breath is drawn and it is as if we breathe in the very essence of the Holy Spirit.

Hallelujah!

Blessings,
Tracy