Hello, this is pastor gary from first baptist church of laplata. Of all the great hymns of the faith, “Holy, Holy, Holy” is probably my favorite; not only do I appreciate the music and theology, but I have fond memories of singing the hymn in church as a child. As a child, I never understood what cherubim and seraphim were that are referenced in verse two, but I now know they are angels. Based on Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8, this hymn describes the majesty of God without revealing the mystery of God with the line, “though the darkness hide Thee.” The word, “holy” means “set apart”; God is not just set apart, He is way set apart; He is set apart times three! The three “holies,” otherwise known as the “Trisagion,” describe each person of God as holy: God, the Father is holy; God, the Son, is holy; and God, The Spirit, is holy. “Holy, Holy, Holy” the hymn does something the Bible does not do, it mentions the Trinity by name. The Bible does teach that the One God exists in three persons, but it does not use the actual word, “Trinity.” The hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy” was written in 1826 by Englishman Reginald Heber to celebrate Trinity Sunday which falls eight weeks after Easter. John Dykes wrote the tune for “Holy, Holy, Holy” in about 30 minutes and named it, “Nicaea,” after the Nicaean Council of 325 AD that affirmed the Scriptural truth of the Trinity once-for-all. I don’t know when we will next sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” at church, but I’m already looking forward to it!
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