Notes on the Notes – June 15, 2025

Trinity Sunday
Celebration of the Centennial of the United Church of Canada
Father’s Day

This week’s music: 

“Holy, Holy, Holy” (Voices United #315/The Hymn Book #50/The Hymnary #1)

“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, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity. 

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”

The words for this hymn are based on Revelations 4:8-11 and were written by Reginald Herber for use on Trinity Sunday.  It was first published in 1826.  The tune, NICAEA was composed by the Reverend John B. Dykes (1861).  It is named for the Council of Nicaea (325) where the doctrine of the Trinity, known as the Nicene Creed, was formulated.
It was the first hymn in The Hymnary, the original hymn book of the United Church of Canada, and was often sung at the beginning of worship.

Hear the hymn at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWfM5iALo7k

“Spirit of Life” (VU #381)

“Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea; move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.”

We respond to the words of assurance by praying that God’s Spirit will be with us.  The hymn was written by Carolyn McDade in 1981 and arranged by Grace Lewis-McLaren and published in 1993.

“Descending Dove”

“Descending dove, you point the way; Your downward flight means God will stay
among us and will ever be as Spirit here eternally.

O burning bush, bright flames alight; God’s presence there, yet out of sight.
O witness true, so you will be our holy sign eternally.

The open book, the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ made manifest.
Our sacred text, such verse will be our faithful guide eternally.

The Alpha and Omega one, God’s precious heaven-gifted Son.
The church formed long ago will be his body here eternally.

Across this land our voices rise, heard o’er the earth and sea and skies.
As one we sing, so may it be: we praise our God eternally.”

The words for this United Church centennial hymn were written by Cindy Randall of Humbervale United Church in Toronto. The lyrics reference the four images in the United Church of Canada crest.
To learn more about the symbolism and meaning of the crest, visit: http://www.windsorparkunitedchurch.com/the-united-church-crest/

The tune we will be using is CANONBURY, adapted from Robert Schumann.

“Praise to the Lord” (Voices United #835/Songs for a Gospel People #17)

“Praise to the Lord, all of you, God’s servants,
Blessed be the name of our God now and ever.
From the rising up of the sun may the Lord be praised,
Praise to the name of the Lord.

There is none like our God in the heavens or on earth,
Who lifts the poor from the dust, seating them with the mighty,
Who stoops to raise the weak and low:
May the Lord be praised, praise to the name of the Lord.”

This paraphrase of Psalm 113 was written by Ron Klusmeier in 1972.  The song was introduced to the United Church in the hymn book supplement, Songs for a Gospel People. 

“We Join in Proclaiming” 

“We join in proclaiming the faith we believe in –
that God is Creator and we are God’s own.
We trust in Christ Jesus and gladly receive him
for we have been blessed by the love he has shown.
Christ died and is risen and, on with the Father,
he reigns now in heaven, still loving the earth.
The Spirit of God that moved over the waters
no moves here among us, empowering God’s church.

O God, we have pondered through years of our history
how you are Creator and Spirit and Son.
We’ve prayed and we’ve studied and called it a mystery
that you are three persons and yet you are one.
Creating and saving, your church here renewing,
You still are one God working many good ways.
May we humbly thank you for all you are doing!
O God in three persons, we offer you praise.” 

This new hymn for Trinity Sunday was written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (2015).  The tune we will be using is ASH GROVE, the traditional Welsh melody.

“For the Life That You Have Given”

“For the life that you have given, for the love in Christ made known,
with these fruits of time and labour, with these gifts that are your own:
Here we offer, Lord, our praises, heart and mind and strength we bring;
Give us grace to love and serve you, living what we pray and sing.” 

The words for our offering response were written by Carl P. Daw (1990).  The tune we will be using is BEACH SPRING.

“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” (Voices United #651/The Hymn Book #269/The Hymnary #441)

“Guide me, O though great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty, hold me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more,
Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield,
Be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell’s destruction, land me safe on Canaan’s side;
Songs of praises, songs of praises I will ever give to thee
I will ever give to thee.”

William Williams was a hymn writer (in Welsh and English) and an itinerant preacher during the Welsh revival of the 1740s. The theme of this hymn, written in Welsh in 1745, is the Israelites’ return to the promised land – the journey we read about in the book of Exodus.  During their time in the wilderness, the people are fed with manna from heaven and water from a rock.  God gives them what they need, but not more than they need.  The hymn confesses our human weakness, and trust in God’s divinity to bring us through the wilderness of life to a home in heaven.  The tune CWM RHONDDA was composed in 1905 by John Hughes, the precentor at Llantwit Fardre chapel, for a Baptist Singing Festival in Pontypridd.

Sing along with choirs and congregation at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT4n1hGjDDg

Enjoy the virtuoso organ playing of Diane Bish at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKJPjW-Y_WU

“With a Vision of Hope”

“With a vision of hope we move along.
Empowered by faith we carry on.
Reaching out far and wide, moving forward reaching high.
Filled with hope, filled with dreams, we journey on.”

As we continue to celebrate the centennial of the United Church of Canada and look to our future as a church, we go into the world singing the words of Mary-Ellen Kish (2008), encouraging each other to move forward in faith with God.