Holy God, We Praise Your Name, ELW 414
1 Holy God, we praise your name;
Lord of all, we bow before you.
All on earth your scepter claim,
all in heav’n above adore you.
Infinite your vast domain,
everlasting is your reign.
2 Hark! The glad celestial
angel choirs above are raising;
cherubim and seraphim,
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heav’ns with sweet accord:
“Holy, holy, holy Lord!”
3 Lo, the apostolic train
join your sacred name to hallow;
prophets swell the glad refrain,
and the white-robed martyrs follow;
and from morn to set of sun
through the church the song goes on.
4 Holy Father, holy Son,
Holy Spirit, three we name you,
though in essence only one;
undivided God we claim you
and, adoring, bend the knee
while we own the mystery.
Devotion
“…while we own the mystery.” This hymn writer had a unique way of boldly proclaiming the elusive concept of the Trinity and then qualifying it with reality by admitting that it remains a mystery. In one breath we confess with the composer, we believe it, we stand by it, it’s foundational, but it’s a mystery! We even sometimes say: the doctrine of the Trinity is a cross upon which all human reason must be crucified. The early framers of Christian doctrine must have found reason enough in Holy Scriptures to make this a basic tenant of the church. The many juxtaposing references to Father-Son-Holy Spirit in the New Testament seem to indicate God was revealing something practical about how we should watch divinity in action. Yet, all attempts to spell out the details so that it makes intellectual sense, end in owning a mystery.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that you allow me to use words to express my faith, even though I don’t understand their full meaning. Open my mind for new insights. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.