It’s an invitation to ‘do-si-do’! That’s what he said. Was it perhaps a square-dancin’ affair, or just generally a celebration that Casey Darnell and his friends in the North Point Worship band (Heath Balltzglier, Ross King, and Todd Fields) were thinking when they co-wrote “Love Come Down” in 2014? The atmosphere these four envisioned and wanted to promote was swayed by their location – in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta where the North Point Community Church is located (see the map-image of Fulton County, Georgia here) – a region where country-western music prevails, though their song is more closely categorized as country-rock. ‘Just celebrate that God has done something awesome for you!’ That’s really the simplest way to paraphrase what these four band members were saying…it’s the same attitude that we’ll have in His everlasting presence, one day. Everything that has dimmed our vision of Him will be in the rearview mirror, and all that’s in front of you and me will be summed up in one word: Praise.
They were looking for a ‘foot-stompin’ song, and that’s another way of describing what Casey, Heath, Ross, and Todd produced. Casey says you might even feel like grabbing the crook of someone’s elbow with your own elbow and giving the other person a swing. Too few pure praise songs made this quartet reach for something to add to the celebratory repertoire they felt would capture the young adult teenager audience at the North Point church where they were in 2014. It’s a high-energy group whom the band was coaxing to temporarily block out the challenges and the lows in their young lives. Casey says he’s written lots of the slower, more contemplative lyrics for songs this worship band has produced, but felt ‘Love Come Down’ offered something ‘fresh’. Singing to ‘shout Your praises loud’, ‘forever’, because He’s ‘pulled me out’ of the gloomy darkness (chorus) – that’s all that’s in the repeated focus here. Someone might have been ‘blind’, with ‘chains of sin’ about the body (v.1), feeling like a condemned prisoner who has a ‘debt’ (v.2) and ultimately a ‘grave’ (v.3) awaiting. But, these songwriters have conjured up something that hearers cannot escape – that there’s more reason to revel than wallow. The song’s beat and its lyrical reminders cannot be denied. Jesus has ‘rescued me’ (v.1, 2, and 3), and the ‘grace’ and ‘hope’ (v.2); the ‘home beyond the sky’, and the ‘song’ we’ll sing there (v.3) are too powerful for its opponents to withstand.
Casey and the others remind their 21st Century audience of something he repeats in the video description of the song, something that was written by a poet centuries ago – Psalm 100. Entering God’s presence, His dwelling place, means that you and I inhabit that place with thanksgiving and praise. His place might be called ‘courts’, according to what that psalmist said, but I go there not with a sense of dread about judgement, but with an assurance of belonging – to Him. I am one of His creations, in His image. And, He is good, lives forever, and invites me into His embrace. Yes, there will be judgement, but if I capture and keep what Casey, Heath, Ross, and Todd have pictured for me, then I can rejoice that His grace, His love-nature, is always present to draw me, too. He came once, has gone home temporarily, has left me a divine helper, and is planning to come Himself again. Are you rejoicing that His love (has already) come down, or are you still looking? Look around. There’s plenty of us already at His party! Come on in, and find a dance partner!
See here some comments by one of the songwriters re: purpose of the song (from appx 3:30 to end of video): Love Come Down (how to play by Casey Darnell) (youtube.com)
See here for a few brief comments by the songwriters (at appx 0:42 of the video) about the song and their performance of it: Bing Videos
See here for information about the church/worship band where the song was written: North Point Worship - Wikipedia
See here for information about the image-graphic file for Fulton County, and its public domain status: File:Map of Georgia highlighting Fulton County.svg - Wikimedia Commons. I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.
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