Worshipkitchen’s Blog

Jennifer Chung sings Hosanna

Jennifer Chung is a great indie artist out of Cali and its good to hear this song done by her. Hosanna! Enjoy! What does the word Hosanna mean anyhow? We sing it, we sing it with meaning, but do we ever convey to the church what it means??? When you worship with ‘churchy words’ how do we explain those words easily to visitors or to the unsaved who may have come for a visit (now there’s a thought)?
Here is a quick definition. Doing an indepth study of the word itself is not the point here, but more I want to question the methodology used to convey the meaning of what we are singing to the congregation .
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Columbia Encyclopedia: Hosanna
(hōzăn’ə) [Heb.,=save now; Psalm 118], an intensified imperative, a cry, addressed to God, particularly used in the Feast of Tabernacles, when prayers for rain were offered. In the New Testament the crowd shouted it when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It is used as an acclamation in Christian worship, e.g., in the Sanctus.
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What are some good tactics you use to talk to the congregation about the meaning of a word like Hosanna before they are sung? What other words and phrases do we sing that need some detail for the un-churhed person walking in the door? What benefits are there in teaching the meaning of key words in worship songs? Does the knowledge give greater passion to the true worshipper and can you hear that in the vocal response?