Our Laggy Broken Hallelujahs

We’re about a month into this new reality, and the truth is we’ve never done this before––as people, as a church, as a city, a country, a world––this type of withdrawal and distancing. We’re all trying to figure it out. And therefore it continues to be messy, we’re going to keep making mistakes, and we must learn to practice forgiveness—“forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12)—as Jesus taught us.

But there is a lot of grace. A few weeks ago, my small group met for the first time on Zoom. And we always close our small group gatherings by singing the doxology. So out of habit I asked everybody (about 10 people) to sing the doxology together on Zoom. But I forgot to tell them to mute their mics.

Yeah…

So let me tell you—it was a GONG SHOW––it did not go well. It was laggy and chaotic as you had 9 other voices blasting through your speakers.

And yet, it was also a beautiful picture of what it means to be the church in this season, and perhaps in every season: where we do not give up the habit of meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), but offer up our laggy and broken hallelujahs.

Very truly I tell you, our good God delights in our praise, however flawed and cracked they are. And we’re called to keep on singing, hoping, living, loving, and blessing those around us. In other words, to keep being the church.

And during this Holy Week, this most important week in our lives and in the church calendar, I’m sure your heart breaks (as mine does) for various reasons. Because of all the sickness and death and disruption in our world, yes. But also because you can’t spend it in person with other brothers and sisters of Christ and the seekers who show up on Easter, worshipping the Living God together.

But, we’ll say it again: church ain’t cancelled (we’ve got our online Easter service). Easter ain’t cancelled, because the hope of the Risen Crucified One, Jesus of Nazareth, is surely the biggest and best news story going on right now. Yes, bigger than COVID-19. It always has been, and always will be.

My invitation to you this season is to belt out some hope and praise, to get into the Easter spirit, by singing the doxology more regularly with others (whether online or in person). It’s short, it’s simple, it’s sweet and savoury. It’s so good. And the church has been singing it for hundreds of years through good times and bad.

So will you join me now, if you know the tune, in offering up our laggy and broken hallelujahs?

(And this time I don’t have to worry about your mics being muted).

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Michael Yang is the campus pastor of Tapestry Nights
Photo by Edward Cisneros