I have been in the process of writing and recording a set of albums, Old & New, setting new music to older hymns and texts. I recently released my second of three and wanted to write a little about why I spent so much time devoted to old stuff (see other posts: I, II). You can get download both of the albums for free here: gregwillson.bandcamp.com. This post is on the second track, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord.

The Book of Common Prayer (first version published in 1549) came out of the English Reformation, where England broke with Rome and created the Church of England. It’s a prayer book, which doesn’t only mean it contains prayers for individuals, but it also contains liturgies. One of these liturgies (sometimes today we call them orders of worship) is titled “At the Great Thanksgiving”. It is one of the liturgies for the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper.

It’s in a call and response form (this makes up the verse of my song):

Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

This is supposed to prepare the hearts of the people and frame what is about to take place. Interestingly enough, the “leader” is called the celebrant. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we don’t perform it or do it.

Another section of the liturgy contains:

And so we join the saints and the angles in proclaiming your glory, as we sing…

As we partake of communion, we are celebrating it with the invisible church, and with all God’s angels. We are proclaiming the world that is to come. And that proclamation includes singing—we are singing in the new world.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

This is the chorus for the song, and the proclamation that one sings when following this liturgy in taking the Lord’s Supper.

The purpose of this song is to illuminate areas where we don’t often think of being full of God’s glory. It might be easier to think of God’s glory on a Sunday morning, but what about when driving around town, or in studying homework? The song we sing when we celebrate the Eucharist rings out over our lives, it forms who we are: dependent beings upon a holy, holy, holy God for our very sustenance.

Lyrics
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord our God
It is right to give Him thanks and praise

So we join the saints and the angels
Proclaiming Your glory as we sing

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord