The word ‘hallelujah’ literally means ‘praise the Lord. It is not some meaningless word meant to fill up musical space in a song. When I think of or sing that word, I am always filled with joy when I use it. It is not a word I take lightly. During this season - Christmas - we have so much to be grateful for, first and foremost being the advent of Christ, our Savior. Today I am going to be sharing the story of how one of my favorite Christmas songs was born. That song? “Hallelujah! to the Baby Who Came”.
The coming of Jesus had long been prophesied so many times in the Old Testament. As a case in point, picture this: a child born to us, a son given to us; a name that rings out - Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. That's Isaiah 9:6 for you.
Now, let's backtrack a bit. For a couple of years, I had been making my way to Oral Roberts University every Thursday, mentoring students on everything from songwriting to life's big questions. One fine Thursday afternoon (which happened to be November 8, 2012), with a gap in my schedule, I sat at the keys and let the music flow. Before I knew it, I was belting out a sweet, simple melody about a baby born in a manger, here to be our solid ground. The first verse and chorus? Landed in my lap just like that. Hallelujah!
As the days went by and I kept singing, it dawned on me - this was a worship chorus tailor-made for celebrating Christ's birth. Fast forward to teaching it at my home church - and let me tell you, the glory of God? It rained down in that place. After worship that night, my wife, Melinda, asks the question: "Did you plan that bridge to lead folks into singing from the heart - singing in the Spirit?“ And I just grinned, "You bet I did!"
I get it, not everyone feels at ease belting out tunes on the fly. Cue the bridge, inspired by the Lord, nudging me to slip in the innocent phrase 'Merry Christmas' to ease folks into that spontaneous, heart-to-heart melody to the Lord. So, picture this - as the layers of melody and lyrics start to weave their way into needy human hearts, it's like this invitation to just let loose and lift the Lord up with your own spontaneous praises. My hope? That, just like the atmosphere in my cozy living room church, you'll truly feel that divine glory as you pour your heart out in worship to Jesus with this song.
Here's a little nugget from Luke 2:4-7 for you: Joseph, the man from Galilee, made the trek to Bethlehem with Mary, who was due any moment. And in that humble setting, Mary birthed her firstborn, swaddling Him in cloths and laying Him in a manger - no room at the inn, remember?
As we gear up for the weeks ahead, let's make it all about Jesus - celebrating His birth and all the goodness He's poured into our lives. How? By carving out that special space for Him in the deepest corners of our souls, in every nook and cranny of our existence. Let's deck the halls of our hearts with His presence. And remember, go and be who your heavenly Father says you are and sing “Hallelujah! to the Baby Who Came”!
Dennis Jernigan
To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song “Hallelujah! to the Baby Who Came”, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/hallelujah-to-117625704
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