"Holy, Holy, Holy (God with Us)" Heber/Maher

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


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 shall be


From the cradle to the cross
God with us God with us
For this broken world You love
God with us God with us
You gave up Your only Son
God with us God with us
So that all the world will know our God with us

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

From the cradle to the cross
God with us God with us
For this broken world You love
God with us God with us
You gave up Your only Son
God with us God with us
So that all the world will know our God with us
So that all the world will know our God with us!

Text: John Bacchus Dykes | Matt Maher | Reginald Heber
​Text: © Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Getty Music Hymns and Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.). Used by permission: CCLI no. 11180910
 
This Sunday, we celebrate Trinity Sunday, remembering our God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but not three Gods, One undivided God. What an incredible mystery! Holy, Holy, Holy, is one of the most well known hymns that celebrates the trinity- “God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity!” Matt Maher has taken this hymn and added a refrain to use in a Praise and Worship context.
 
The hymn was written by Reginald Heber(1783-1826) who was an educated young man in a wealthy family in England who won awards for his poetry. After he graduated, he became the rector of his father’s church in the small village of Hodnet in Western England, and cared devotedly for his people. After 16 years, he was appointed bishop of Calcutta. While in India, he wrote 57 hymns, but he was to humble to publish them himself. His wife had them published after he passed away, and Holy, Holy, Holy is the most well known.
 
In this hymn we praise our triune God early in the morning remembering his mercy and his might; his gospel and his law. When we sing our hymns and songs, we are united with all people around the world in all times and with all believers in heaven who are waiting for us. As Luther pointed out: “We can mention only one point (which experience confirms), namely, that next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is mistress and governess of those human emotions….which as masters govern men or more often overwhelm them….For whether you wish to comfort the sad, to terrify the happy, to encourage the despairing, to humble the proud, to calm the passionate, or to appease those full of hate….what more effective means than music could you find?”
 
Even the works of God are praising His name- the rocks are crying out the glory of the Lord. We se His handywork and we must recognize that our Triune God is a might God. He created an amazing world with great wonders and holds it all together.
 
And yet, he is not aloof. In the person of Jesus, showed His great love for us and walked among us. Then, He sacrificed His life on the cross for our salvation and rose again on the third day. 

From the cradle to the cross
God with us!
So that all the world will know
​Our God with Us!

​In Christ’s Service,
 
Jennifer Rasch
Music Director
St. Paul Lutheran Church
You have turned my Mourning into Dancing Ps. 30:11

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https://hymnary.org/person/Heber_Reginald
https://wp.cune.edu/matthewphillips/2014/06/01/martin-luther-on-music/