Friday, April 19, 2024  

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Today's Hymn
“Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty!”

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.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All they works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

by Reginald Heber
Hymn 1, Glory to God
verse 3–4

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Reflection

Years ago, the very first verse of this hymn opened worship services at a New York Presbyterian church — much the way we, at Fourth Church, open worship by singing the Old Hundredth. You needed to pay attention to that prelude or introit, you see, because soon enough the organ surged into the opening notes of “Holy, Holy, Holy!” — and with that, the congregation would rise up, leaving you asleep at the switch if you didn’t leap up with everyone else. Talk about a dramatic start to a church service! Were you feeling glum or disconnected? Exhausted from life’s challenges? That very act of joining the happy chorus could lift a soul out of low places.

Still, the hymn’s third verse calls us to explore something a little deeper. Namely, that humans can lose sight of God, and that the darkness — such as darkness in our own lives, or suffering that has been visited upon us, or anguish we feel when recognizing how frequently we benefit from the exploitation of others — is something to be understood. To be confessed. With God’s help, to be resolved. It reminds us that only God is perfect. That we will proclaim God’s holiness through the darkest of days.

And in one quick turn of verse, the hymn’s author carries us from “Though the darkness hide thee” to “All thy works shall praise thy name / in earth and sky and sea.” Consider where we are in the year: the colors and sounds of springtime are just outside our doors. Birds in parks, forests, or the city’s trees are singing the joys of the season. From where I sit, listening to cardinals calling to each other in the street below, I hear the song of all God’s works praising God’s name. This is the happy chorus that the morning stars began. This is the music of life, joining together to sing God’s praises.

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Prayer
“God our Father, Christ our Brother: All who live in love are thine. Teach us how to love each other. Lift us, with praise and singing, to thy joy divine.” Amen.
(Prayer adapted from Henry J. van Dyke’s hymn “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”)

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Written by Sarah Forbes Orwig, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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