Hallelujah

I was in Edinburgh watching a gospel choir from South Africa singing songs of freedom, with colorful costumes, soaring voices, dancing and much gusto.

The final song they sang, though, was Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. While this is not my favourite of songs, the fact that they were singing a song by a Jew and through it were intending to praise God moved me; and I was even more moved when the entire audience rose to their feet and sang in unison "Hallelujah" with incredible joy and vitality. 

And it suddenly struck me that every time someone says the English word Hallelujah, since fortunately in this case the annoying J that creeps in in English versions of Hebrew words is not pronounced, they are literally saying the Hebrew words הללויה or הללו יה, Hallelu Yah, praise God.

Meaning that, without ignoring negative things this religion has wrought such as the Crusades and anti-semitism, one good thing Christianity has certainly done is brought millions of mouths down the ages to say the words "Praise God" in Hebrew, and that goes on until today.

And each time a mouth does that, surely that is a bolt of good energy in this troubled world?
Perhaps it even creates an angel?

Sing Hallelujah
Sing it!