The original performance, which might seem a little bit more elaborate, shows a different setting for this song.¹ When we see a good idea done well, it’s easy to think we have to do it exactly as we saw it or we can’t do it all, but that’s not true!² While we want to honor God with our best efforts, even the best falls short of what He really deserves. Thankfully, He looks at our hearts and asks us to worship in spirit and truth. The need for technical perfection was taken care of at the cross of Christ.

For the one in Okinawa (on this page), the team had a much smaller area without a raised stage or ability to control lighting, but that didn’t stop the team from adapting! I think it helps that the smiling one in the middle was one of the creators of the original. As long as the integrity of the message stays intact, I think it’s ok to adjust to fit your situation and your audience. That’s what cross-cultural ministry is about, anyway.

I usually hesitate to use body worship to an English song in a non-English setting, but if it is well choreographed (like this one) to visually interpret the words, it works! If there is any doubt about how well the message of the lyrics will be understood, either find a version of the song that is translated into the primary language of the audience or incorporate subtitles (either on a screen or as a handout) so the audience doesn’t feel like this is just a talent show performance.

One word of caution about using translated versions of a song: rarely do lyrics translate word for word from one language to another in a song. Since we also need to account for rhythm and timing, translations are often of the essence of the lyrics rather than the actual words. For example, one Spanish translation for the lines in Jesus Loves Me, “little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong” are literally “children are able to go to Him who is our faithful friend.” The hand motions we grew up with in the U.S. don’t match this Spanish version (unless showing off your muscles in Spanish-speaking cultures means “faithful friend”). Double-check the meaning of the translated lyrics and adjust accordingly.

Almost all performances like this need to be paired up with some kind of explanation. The more creative you are, the more open your work is to interpretation. As messengers of the most important message, we need to exercise due diligence in communicating clearly. In the original, someone at the end is coming to the stage to engage with the primary target audience (kids at an Easter/outreach event) to reinforce the message. You’ll find this is usually the case: artistic performance on it’s own is not enough to clearly relay your message, but it makes your communication much more powerful and complete if you can speak to both the mind and the soul.

1. Special thanks to my friend, Brian Sueyoshi, for recording it and providing the link! [↩]
2. I am in no way suggesting the Okinawa team didn’t do it well! Great job guys, not only for performing well but also for adapting well! [↩]