Posted yesterday over at LIBERATE was my song analysis of our opening track, “Father, How Great Your Delight in the Son” on our November EP, The Magnifcent Three.
I wanted to write a hymn in Trinitarian shape, similar to “Come Thou Almighty King,” though with a bit more focus on the roles of the Persons and their mutual delight. The ultimate goal was to give the Church a song that began worship by looking at how we join into the already-happening delight of the Trinity, pulsating through heaven and garnering earth.
Go check out my description at LIBERATE for an inside look on the thinking/artistic process and theological vision behind it. As you listen, keep in mind that it can be sung very successfully (we sang it last night at Coral Ridge) to a 6/8 rhythm that doesn’t sound anything like the recording. The recorded arrangement was more of an (attempted, at least) artistic statement.
Father, How Great
Your Delight in the Son
listen/buy | lead sheet | chord chart
Lyrics
1. Father, how great Your delight in the Son
Infinite joy ere the worlds were begun
The fullness of Love found in Him, with You one
Father, how great Your delight in the Son
2. Jesus, You reign at the Father’s right hand
In pleasure You rule o’er His sovereignty’s span
You joyfully follow the Father’s commands
Jesus, You reign at the Father’s right hand
And, now called into Your delight
As we strain to gaze at Your light
With the hosts of the heavens all veiling their sight,
We cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
We cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
We cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
3. Spirit, You light up the Father and Son
With pleasure You join their affections in One
So pour out their glory as we humbly come
Spirit, You light up the Father and Son
So we join Your myst’ry divine
As we sing Your Love before time
And we lift up our voices midst glory sublime
And cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
And cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
And cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
4. O worship the Father, immortal, in light
O worship the Son, at His right hand of might
O worship the Spirit, eternally bright
With saints, angels, elders, and martyrs in white
So we join the great One in Three
In the praise that ever shall be
And in Christ, through the Spirit, our Father we seek.
And cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
And cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
And cry,”Holy, holy, holy”
One Comment on “A Trinitarian Call to Worship Song”
I love this! I have been exploring the idea of trinitarian worship with one of my sacramental theology and worship professors at seminary. The trinitarian understanding that we give worship TO the Father, THROUGH the Son, and WITH or IN the Spirit is a central part of it. As a worship planner, I'm trying to explore ways we can emphasize and teach this theology through our practice, rather than simply singing songs with such lyrics or praying the Gloria Patri using the original emphasis on to, through, and in. I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have on that. Blessings.