“Three we name thee, though in essence one, undivided God.”

Hymn: “Holy God, We Bless Thy Name” – Ignase Franz (1719-1790)
Tune: GROSSER GOTT

Though the word “Trinity” never appears in Scripture, we are Trinitarian in our understanding of God as the Father (Parent), God the Son (Child), and God the Holy Spirit (Presence). It seems to be easier to get our minds around the three persons. The idea of the three-in-one God came into being through the teachings of Tertullian in the 2nd Century AD and became an accepted dogma in the 4th Century.

While the theological implications are multi-layered and not always easily understood, this short phrase from a German hymn says it so succinctly and so well: “Three we name thee, though in essence one, undivided God.” Although we call you by three names, when we understand the truth of who you are, you are  undividable – indivisible.

Every writer wishes he/she had written that line – because it brings the Trinitarian idea into a clearer focus. We can look at him and appreciate him from three different angles, but we must not lose sight of his being One.

Irish Philharmonic Chorus

“Bring us low in prayer before thee.”

Hymn: “We Are Gathered for Thy Blessing” – Paul Rader (1878-1938)
Tune: TABERNACLE

This hymn was written by a Denver-born American preacher who became the first radio evangelist. In today’s hymnline, Rader brings to our minds the New Testament parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector. I don’t usually include a Scripture passage, but here I think we need to be reminded of the details:

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a  Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. [Luke 18:10-14]

This posture of humility… not even looking up when praying… was the more acceptable prayer – elegant in its attitude and simplicity.

“Prostrate” is a good worship word we use that helps us picture “bring us low in prayer before thee.”  It means falling flat on your face… sprawled out on the floor… getting as low as you can in the presence of God… avoiding any possibility of arrogance or entitlement.

When we were in Rome recently, we happened upon a church that was home to a small sect of believers whose worship was done prostrate on the floor before the altar. We were in the small basilica when one of their prescribed worship times began and were witnesses to their unusual ritual. As odd as it was for a pretty staid American Baptiterian, I was fascinated and moved by the way they so seriously lowered their bodies and lay face-down in the Presence for an extended period of time.

These give us mental pictures, but the point to all this is not so much the physical positioning as the heart posture. With as little hubris as possible, we approach the throne in such an unassuming way that our cries for mercy might be heard, and we might go on our way “justified before God.”

So, how low can you go?

“Fully absolved through these I am.”

Hymn: “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness” – Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf (1700-1760)
              [Translated by John Wesley]
Common Tunes: ST. CRISPIN, GERMANY

Count Zinzendorf was a German Moravian who wrote several hymns. This one and “Jesus, Still Lead On” are probably his two most famous. He also wrote “Christian Hearts, in Love United” and “O Thou to Whose All-Searching Sight.”

Here, he makes a simple, forthright statement of our redeemed condition: We have been fully absolved through the blood and righteousness of Jesus. Here is the full hymnline:

    Fully absolved through these I am
    From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

We Protestants shy away from the use of the term “absolution” because it has been connected with the Roman Catholic Church since the 13th Century. In that tradition, the priest pronounces the penitent one – the sinner – forgiven. By its basic definition, however, it is the act of forgiving someone for wrongs done. We would understand this to be a pronouncement from the High Priest – Christ himself.

FULL absolution… complete pardon…total remission… amnesty without strings attached. In the modern court system, we use the word “exoneration” to express this act.

When I stand and sing with boldness, “Fully absolved through these I am,” there a definite sense of assurance in my voice and in my spirit. It could almost be followed by “no doubt about it.”

May we never lose sight of the significance of the fact that we are absolutely absolved.




This Hymn Sung to the ST. CRISPIN Tune

“Heartaches, broken pieces, ruined lives are why you died on Calvary.”

Hymn: “I Will Serve Thee” – Bill & Gloria Gaither
Tune: SERVING

Jesus didn’t come to heal the healthy or to lift up those who already walked upright. He didn’t come to mend unbroken lives. According to him, seeking out and saving the lost ones was his mission. (Luke 19:10) While many of us appear to have it all “together,” we may be heartbroken, our lives shattered to the point of ruin.

We have a lot of Fiestaware at our house… all different colors. The baker’s rack in our kitchen is one of the most cheerful places in the house. Over the years we’ve broken lots of pieces – they’ve literally fallen off the shelf or been dropped onto the ceramic tiled floor. In the garage, we have those pieces in a box marked “Broken Fiesta.” We fully intend to do something artsy with them and turn them into mosaic masterpieces! We plan to redeem those broken pieces and make them useful… even beautiful… again.

We sang this Gaither chorus in worship last Sunday morning, and from the choir loft when the words “broken pieces” came out of my mouth, I thought about that box in the garage.

Jesus is about his Father’s business of collecting shattered lives and making them useful and beautiful again… even those whose very existence may seem to be in ruins like the Roman Forum or the Athenian Acropolis – weathered with time, toppled over, with no apparent benefit to themselves or others.

Artists and craftsmen are constantly finding the seemingly worthless items and creatively turning them into worthwhile objets d’art. Repairmen are taking long idle appliances – overhauling them, making adjustments – restoring them to usefulness. And so is Jesus.

When we look back at all the mending that has happened in our lives, we never have to wonder WHY God sent his only begotten Son. We are simply glad he did.


The Hoppers Sing This Song

“Give him the best that you have.”

“Give him the best that you have.”

Hymn: “Give of Your Best to the Master” – Charlotte Barnard (1830-1869)
Tune: BARNARD

This waltz-like English hymn doesn’t appear in many hymnals anymore, but it is one that we sang a lot in my growing-up, learning-to-love-hymns years at First Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is definitely one that had an impact on my life as a Christ-follower, and the message of this hymnline is still central to my personal mission statement.

One of my favorite Old Testament quotes is from David when he was looking to purchase a piece of land (a threshing floor) on which to build an altar to Lord. The owner offered it at no cost… as a free gift. David’s response was, “I will not offer to Lord anything that costs me nothing.” (1 Chronicles 21:21-26) I’ve used that quote on choirs throughout my ministry to support my belief that music offered up in worship should be well-prepared, labored over, ready -- And that the music itself should be the best I could find for those choirs.

Whatever your calling, it is incumbent on you to produce only the best work possible. I say that because I believe that we do everything “as unto the Lord,” (Colossians 3:23) and that we especially should give only our best in worship, fellowship, mission and ministry.

When we try to do an end run on God and offer him the second-best (or less), we are acting contrary to our basic commitment to him in the first place. Doing only the bare minimum or completing only what is required is out of the question for those of us who have set out to be successful servants of the Master.

Maybe this hymn will come back around again sometime: I think the message is worth passing along to every generation. Though rarely sung in worship, in my hum-along memory this hymn stands as a constant reminder of my pledge of allegiance to the One who always gives his best to me.

A Piano Karaoke Version of This Hymn: Sing Along!