Friday in The Week of The Festival of The Holy Trinity (06/12/09)

Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor.

-- Psalm 29:2

A hymn text from the 10th century carries on the tradition of Psalm 29:2; it ascribes to the Lord the glory of His name:

Father, most holy, merciful and tender;

Jesus, our Savior, with the Father reigning;

Spirit of comfort, advocate, defender,

Light never waning.

Trinity sacred, Unity unshaken;

Deity perfect, giving and forgiving,

Light of the angels, Life of the forsaken,

Hope of all living.

Maker of all things, all thy creatures praise thee;

Lo, all things serve thee through thy whole creation:

Hear us, Almighty, hear us as we raise thee

Heart's adoration.

To the all-ruling triune God be glory:

Highest and greatest, help thou our endeavor,

We too would praise thee, giving honor worthy,

Now and forever.

The language may or may not be emotive, but this much is certain: the language is pedagogical. In other words, it teaches us. In rhyme and verse, it encapsulates and presents the Scriptural teaching of God's revelation of Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In addition, the words are almost exclusively centered on God, and they are objective in nature. Much that passes for Christian music today is more subjective in orientation. In other words, it centers on the one who is singing the song and his/her feelings about God.

Feelings are important, but they are not all important. The psalmist calls us beyond mere sentiment to do the hard and profoundly joyful work of ascribing to the Lord the glory of His name.

PD