Hosanna: A Three Act Play
The Scripture
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!”6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”[Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.]
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
In this account in Revelation, John describes an expansive scene full of the followers of God worshiping and praising the Lamb of God. What a glorious hope and incredible part of the Gospel we who believe have to look forward to. Some day we, too, will be able to sing praises to Him face to face with all those who love our God.
The Music
Hosanna plays as a three act story drawing us to recall the power of our God, our own ill position, and our future occupation in Glory while reminding us to consider the sincerity of our praises.
When listening, one can see this story unfolding on the screen of the mind. In the first act, Verse 1, the camera sits far away from where earth lays untouched, an unformed being invaded by the fiery power of God from the heavens. Fast forward from creation to Verse 2: Jesus coming into Jerusalem, preparing Himself for what He knows will soon come. The crowd welcomed him with praise and adoration singing something similar to the chorus:
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest
Hosanna, Hillsong United
These same people that sang Hosanna to Jesus cried "crucify Him!" not one week later.
Verses 2 and 3 show the antagonists in the next act in this story to be us, today. We are the "generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith". Now it is our turn to sing "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest" to God.
But it's not over. The final act is revealed in the Bridge of this song. It harkens to a day of undying praise. It speaks of the day when we give "Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause as I walk from Earth into eternity" And there, the grandest of finales will play out as we and all God's people sing "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest!" God Himself will finally have His due - our praise for eternity!
The Challenge
In light of both the rich back-story of God's awesome power of creation, and the guilty slate of humanity past and present, we are called to look forward to worshiping God in His Glory forever in Heaven. We are called to live today with that hope in mind, to see our God as the graceful and divine Power that He is that stayed perfect through the most difficult story line ever written.
Consider the weight of your words of praise and speak truth in sincerity to the Lamb of God as you seek God during the listening of this song.