Alicia Taylor
Holy, Holy, Holy!
Lord God Almighty!
"In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted ... seraphim stood above Him ... and one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.'"
-Isaiah 6:1-3 NASB
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, celebrating God in the three persons of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity Sunday begins the ordinary season that will last until Advent, but because it is Trinity Sunday the liturgical color is white, rather than green.
The hymn most often sung by many Christians throughout the world on Trinity Sunday is "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty," written by Reginald Heber. In 1823, Heber was sent to India to serve as Bishop of Calcutta. While he was in India, Heber, an Oxford scholar, became the first person to create a hymnbook which organized hymns according to the liturgical calendar. It was after he died in 1826 that this book was published.
"Holy, Holy, Holy," expressed Heber's grasp of the holiness of God and the importance of the Trinity. His hymn was based on a study of Isaiah's vision in which he saw "the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted." It was a life-changing picture of God's holiness for Heber. Overwhelmed, he described how "early in the morning our song shall rise to thee."
God was both "merciful and mighty." Heber spoke of saints who adore God, "casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea," and "cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee." God was eternal; he "was, and is, and evermore shall be." Heber realized that no sinful man could see God's glory. "Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, perfect in power, in love, and purity." He wrote that "all thy works shall praise thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea."
Today and every day, allow the Spirit of God to fill your heart with wonder at his majesty. Worship and adore God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Prayer for Today
Triune Godhead, source of love and light, to thee we bring our joyous praise, to thee our King through boundless days! Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity! Amen.
