I wonder if the theological slush of congregational life in North America has left many ministers and congregations without a trinitarian vocabulary and doctrine actively shaping, challenging, and anchoring our faith. “Bless eternity” or “Blessed Trinity”? Does it really matter?
Diane J. Strickland
When I was a child, my congregation sang the first verse of the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” as the worship introit every Sunday. Because the congregation sang the verse by heart, I learned it by ear only. For many months I sang:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, bless eternity!
It wasn’t until we sang the whole hymn from the hymnbook one Sunday that I learned the last two words were actually “blessed Trinity!” In the musical “slush” of congregational singing, I had searched among the religious words I knew and decided “bless eternity” had to be what everyone was singing around me. “Trinity” was not in my vocabulary.
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