September 21, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Thursday, September 21.
This Sunday at First Baptist Center, we'll sing a fragment of a song that has a unique history. The song is called "Hallelujah."
On this day in 1934, Leonard Cohen was born. He grew up in Canada and, as a young man, he pursued a career as a poet and a novelist. He eventually decided to give music a try, and when he was 50 years-old, 40 years ago, he wrote a unique song. It featured a chorus that featured the worship word "hallelujah", and verses that referenced several stories from the Old Testament. But the song was very, very far from a Christian song.
Cohen's recording of "Hallelujah" garnered little notice. It wasn't until another artist recorded it ten years later that it became a world-wide hit. About ten years ago, a friend and I wrote new words for the verses, and sang it a few times for services and concerts. At First Center we just use that "hallelujah" chorus, as a tag to worship songs and hymns.
The Old Testament story of Joseph in Genesis 50 contains this memorable phrase - "What you intended for evil, God has intended for good." Leonard Cohen did not intend to write a song of worship, but this Sunday, we will use it to raise a hallelujah.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
