Hallelujah, Hallelujah, it’s a Line Dance and a Picnic

Hallelujah, hallelujah, it's a line dance and a picnic 
For the return of Jesus, honorable clapping

ّWe are in the midst of the day that Christ returns 
Each and any colorful flower we place under his feet

Hallelujah, hallelujah, Christ is on his way
His return is soon, our hope is with him

We are in the midst of the day that Christ returns
Each and every colorful garment we place under his feet 

Hallelujah, hallelujah, Christ has come 
For the knowledge of God, he is the only way

We are in the midst of a project to record some local worship songs and some partners introduced us to this one. “It’s one of our believing friends’ favorites because it feels so local!” they said. And it’s true, in contrast to some of translated 90’s worship choruses, the melody is very much the local style. And the lyrics? Well, you bring in line dancing, picnics, and colorful flowers and you are speaking the love language of our local people group.

This is why it’s so important that local believers come to write their own worship songs. What Westerner would ever start a worship song or hymn like this? Hallelujah, hallelujah, it’s a line dance and a picnic? And yet in this culture, this is wedding language, family celebration language, the language of overflowing joy. These people burst out into line dancing whenever they are overcome with happiness. Just this past weekend we traveled to the top of a mountain during a snowfall. And what did we find there? A bunch of giddy locals playing music and line dancing in the snow (and also throwing snowballs at each other).

Our local climate is not exactly gentle. We have harsh winters and even harsher summers. But that means that locals are extra responsive to the gifts of beauty and green that creation gives. Every spring, when the land is reborn, it’s time for serious picnicking (I’ve never lived anywhere else where you have to factor in the reality of “picnic traffic”). How appropriate then that this song should envision the return of Christ, and the making of all things new, as a spring picnic scene.

Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash