Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, ELW 413
1 Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
2 Holy, holy, holy!
All the saints adore thee, casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee, which wert and art, and evermore shalt be.
3 Holy, holy, holy!
Though the darkness hide thee, though the eye of sinfulness thy glory may not see, only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, perfect in pow'r, in love and purity.
4 Holy, holy, holy!
Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Devotion
With this hymn Reginald Heber and John Dykes have helpfully rendered for us Isaiah’s religious vision from chapter six. It is questionable whether we could actually survive seeing the glory of God, but singing Holy, Holy, Holy with the seraphs in this hymn offers an encounter with that majestic (understatement!) experience.
Intense religious experience is wonderful and tricky. When we have these moments (glimpses of the Gospel, occasions for holy understanding) it feels as if we have traveled light years only to find that the world has perhaps not even moved. We observe that frustration in the prophets and in Jesus too. However, Heber’s text points to our God at work in the world even when we, because of our sin or smallness, cannot see. So we sing together in order to remember the holiness of God moving through the earth and heavens and stirring up our lives.
Prayer
Holy God, your glory is a cross. Your heart is a Son and a world. May we spend our days living inside that gift with our honesty, our trust, and praise. Amen.