A Thousand Hallelujahs
“A Thousand Hallelujahs” is the most recent addition to our 40-song list and may be one of my all-time favorites. Over spring break this year, Audrey had come to work with me at the church one day, and we listened to potential new songs to add to our repertoire. Within seconds of hearing this one, we were both hooked! I even catch Audrey singing or humming “A Thousand Hallelujahs” around the house.
Brooke Ligertwood wrote this amazing song with her husband, Scott, and another guy you might have heard of Phil Wickham. They drove down to the church Phil goes to in southern California to finish up the last few songs on Brooke’s latest album. While in the little old church hall, Brooke says, “We were sitting in the church hall with the keyboards and the guitars, and there’s just this beautiful, empty hall, and kind of started talking about all the generations of people who had worshiped in this church. We were just so inspired by the generational nature of the Church of Jesus. And we started talking about the thousands of hallelujahs that had been sung in that room.”
That's exactly how I feel about this song when we sing it in worship at Hillspring. This church family has gone by many names over the years (decades), but regardless of the name on the sign, the name of Jesus has always been on our hearts. Sitting in this sanctuary built in the early 1980s, it's remarkable to me the number of "Hallelujahs" that have been lifted up in this space.
Perhaps creation longs to have the words to sing,
But this joy is mine
More than this, it's the number of "Hallelujahs" we have taken outside these four walls and into the world. Sunday worship is meant to be a recentering and celebratory time of worship and surrender. Don't limit worship to just singing but think of your life as a song of praise to God. Worship without ceasing!
When we think of our lives and songs, the chorus of "A Thousand Hallelujahs" has a broader meaning.
You alone deserve the glory
The honor and the praise
Lord Jesus, this song is forever Yours
A thousand hallelujahs and a thousand more
A thousand hallelujahs through acts of kindness, forgiveness, compassion, selfless giving, and love showed to those around us. We are called to take our light and shine it throughout our world! That would mean in our homes, at our jobs, in our schools, around our neighborhood, with friends, with family, with strangers, and yes, even on social media. This is worship!
When you write a kind note or send a thoughtful text to someone, this is worship! When you pause to pray before a meal with your family, this is worship! When you listen with a respectful ear to hear the heart of someone you disagree with because you love them for the child of God they are, this is worship! When you load food into the trunk of a family in need at the Mobile Market, this is worship! When you travel to Honduras to help a village with water and housing needs, this is worship! When you surrender your day to what God has versus your to-do list, this is worship!
Don't put worship in a box or limit it to one hour on Sunday mornings. Let that be the launching point for your week filled with worshipping Jesus and shining your light with the world!
He alone deserves the glory. The honor. The praise.
Go be the church! Go be a blessing!
April Bergez
Worship Leader
Brooke Ligertwood