Our Story, Our Song
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
This foundational hymn is a ringing affirmation of faith in the Triune God.
By Michael Waschevski
Photo by Danny Bolin.
When the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song began its work in the fall of 2008, we faced the daunting challenge of deciding what hymns and other songs would be included in the new hymnal Glory to God. We began by reflecting on a theological vision for the new hymnal. Then we worked our way through the current (1990) hymnal, from hymn number 1 through hymn number 605, answering this question: “Should this hymn/song be included in the new hymnal?”
If the vote was a unanimous yes, we placed the hymn/song on what affectionately became known as our “no-brainer” list—no-brainer because we simply couldn’t imagine the new hymnal not including these hymns/songs. It will come as no surprise that seasonal favorites such as “Silent Night, Holy Night” and “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” appeared on the list. Many other hymns also received unanimous votes because of their integral place in the singing experience of our worshiping communities and in the hearts of Presbyterians.
“Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!” easily found its way onto the list of no-brainers. Both the text and the tune (Nicea), in fact, are so loved that they are included together in just about every published hymnal.
A celebration of the Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity affirms that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God yet three persons relating to one another in love.
The hymn’s author, Reginald Heber, was born in 1783 in the village of Malpas, in Cheshire, England, and was educated at Brasenose College, in Oxford. Ordained by the Church of England in 1807, he served in a local parish until his appointment as the bishop of Calcutta (India), where he served until his sudden death in 1826.
It was during his time as a parish priest that Heber began writing hymns. Some have attributed his hymn writing to dissatisfaction with the poor psalm singing in his congregation. He also was likely to have been influenced by the robust hymn singing among Methodists and Baptists. If stronger hymn singing was a goal of his hymn writing, he succeeded with “Holy, Holy, Holy!”—a hymn that has been sung with great vitality and energy for nearly 200 years.
The text of this great hymn was written for Trinity Sunday, which occurs the Sunday after Pentecost as a celebration of the Holy Trinity, an essential doctrine in Christian theology. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share the same substance or essence; they are one God yet three persons relating to one another in love. The doctrine of the Trinity reflects how humans experience the Godhead relating to us in love.
Verse 1 of the hymn acknowledges humanity offering praise to the Triune God. When we are gathered in our congregations, in conferences and retreats, in hospital rooms, and in homes, our voices unite with all of humanity in an offering of praise:
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.
Verse 2 adds to our human voices the saints and angels mentioned in Isaiah 6:2–3 and Revelation 4:6–11. How often do we consider that when we sing our praises to God, we join a mighty chorus that stretches beyond space and time?
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the
glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Verse 3 acknowledges that God’s holiness and majesty, of which we sing, are often not apparent to us in our human sinfulness. Yet by raising our voices together—and with the saints and angels—we are still able to experience God’s mercy and power in our singing.
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 power, in love and purity.
The final verse expands the chorus of praise beyond humans, saints, and angels to include the whole creation:
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!
As the hymn praises “God in three persons, blessed Trinity” in the first and last stanzas, it lifts us into the cosmic reality of the majesty of God.
Perfect match of text and tune
This powerful text that encompasses all God has created found a perfect musical match in the tune Nicea, named after the early church council that firmly established the doctrine of the Trinity in AD 325. Composed by John Bacchus Dykes in 1861 to accompany Heber’s text, the tune captures the grandeur and majesty of God. It is such a perfect match of text and tune that rarely is Heber’s text sung to another tune.
David McKinley Williams’s popular descant, composed in 1948, has become a beloved feature of this hymn in hymnals of the Presbyterian Church and other denominations. Whether it is sung by sopranos, played on a trumpet, or highlighted by an organ, this descant, which is included with the hymn in Glory to God, will inspire and move Presbyterians in the next decades to continue lifting our voices in praise of the Triune God.
Because “Holy, Holy, Holy!” is so beloved musically and so foundational in its affirmation of our understanding of God through the doctrine of the Trinity, it is hymn number 1 in Glory to God. As we prepare to hold the new hymnal in our hands, may we with renewed energy and excitement continue lifting our voices with the whole creation to “God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”
Michael Waschevski is associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth and a member of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song.
A series of articles on Hymns of Our Faith
The chorus of “Blessed Assurance,” the beloved hymn by Fanny J. Crosby, begins, “This is my story, this is my song.” Many of the songs we sing in worship tell stories. The hymns and other songs in the new Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God, scheduled for publication this fall, are organized in a way that tells the story of our salvation in Jesus Christ—past, present, and future. Each article in this series will focus on one hymn, psalm, or spiritual song from the new hymnal. Each of the hymns illuminates an important theme in the story of our salvation, offering wisdom and inspiration for our Christian faith, life, and worship. For more information about Glory to God: presbyterianhymnal.org
