COMMENT

By Al Funk

ONE of the highlights of this past year was watching the last hour of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies.  It was a pretty spectacular show.

The most lasting memory for me was k.d. lang’s performance of Leonard Cohen’s immensely popular song, ‘Hallelujah.’ 

The voice was classic lang at its best. The performance was full of emotion and passion. The setting was amazing; the light show accompanying it was mesmerizing.  It was, in all, a pretty incredible experience.

For those who missed it, there are several different lang concert performances of the song available on YouTube.com (use the search term ‘lang hallelujah’).

The day after the show, the song and its performance wouldn’t let go of me.                 

I googled the lyrics, because I had trouble understanding all of them as they were being sung. They are powerful. For those who don’t have the words close by, here are some key excerpts:

I heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord.
But you don’t really care for music, do ya?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall, the major lift –
The baffled king composing ‘Hallelujah.’

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof.
You saw her bathing on the roof.
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya.
She tied you to a kitchen chair;
She broke your throne, she cut your hair;
And from your lips she drew the ‘Hallelujah.’

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Baby, I’ve been here before.
I’ve seen this room, and I’ve walked this floor.

I used to live alone before I knew ya.
But I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch.
Our love is not a victory march.
It’s a cold and it’s a broken ‘Hallelujah.’

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Maybe there’s a God above;
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya.
It’s not a cry that you hear at night;
It’s not someone who’s seen the light;
It’s a cold and it’s a broken ‘Hallelujah.’

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

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I am well aware of some of the lifestyle choices Ms. lang has apparently made; but God has not given me the responsibility of standing in judgment over her. 

She does not have to answer to me. And frankly, I am thankful for that – because I am sure I would do that imperfectly. 

The gripping part of all of this is the idea of ‘broken Hallelujahs.’ 

We know that ‘Hallelujah’ is a universal expression of praise to God. The word is repeated over and over in this song.  And yet, it’s a song about people who have struggled significantly with sin – especially sexual sin. 

King David is mentioned. He committed adultery with Bathsheba. The lyric “she cut your hair” is presumably a reference to Samson, who flirted with Delilah until she discovered the secret of his strength – and it cost him his life. 

Both David and Samson sinned significantly, according to our understanding; and yet, somehow, God brought them back to a place of usefulness to him. 

I don’t know what was going through Leonard Cohen’s mind as he wrote the third verse – or what goes through k.d. lang’s mind as she sings it.  But look at those words: “Our love is not a victory march; it’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.” 

It seems to me that this depicts some kind of struggle which makes it hard to have a relationship with God – and yet, there is a desire to say ‘Hallelujah,’ to give praise to him, even if it comes from a place of brokenness. 

The last verse picks up this same idea: “It’s not someone who’s seen the light. It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.”

The writer and singer are questioning if God is there – and if he is, they are wanting to offer up a ‘Hallelujah.’

They know they are broken. They know that what they offer is accompanied by deep questions, doubts and pain – and that it is inadequate for someone as great as God. 

Does he accept ‘broken’ Hallelujahs?  

We sometimes have difficulty believing that he does. After all, look at these people. They don’t fit into our neat and tidy understanding of someone who should be offering praise to God.

How can God respond to their ‘worship’? And yet, somehow, I think he does. 

In my devotions recently, I read about the woman Jesus met at the well.  His followers were amazed that he would even be talking to a person like this. 

She had so much junk in her life: five former husbands – and now she was living common-law with a sixth man. 

I am not for one moment making excuses for living in known sin. But I do know that some people’s struggle to live in a ‘victory march’ is much more difficult than many of us can possibly imagine. 

God’s love for them is just as great as it is for those of us who have lesser struggles – although looking down our prideful noses at others is just as great a sin.

Our grace for them should be the same grace that we have received from God – and would want others to give to us if we were in their place. 

We should probably spend less time wondering about other people’s ‘broken Hallelujahs,’ and be more concerned about our own.

Because the truth is that all of our ‘Hallelujahs’ are broken, to a greater or lesser degree. 

Al Funk is lead pastor at Colwood Pentecostal Church. This article first appeared in Testimony. ‘Hallelujah’ © 1993. Reprinted with permission. 

September 2010