Holy Is the Lord -- Anonymous Seraphim

 

Isaiah saw and heard them saying this, and it must have been an awesome experience. How many seraphim Isaiah saw is not shared by the ancient prophet (Two seraphim [Petites Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry] surround God in the 14th-century illuminated manuscript shown here, courtesy of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.), but what they said was so powerful that is shook the foundations and terrified the one who was witness to this vision. “Holy Is the Lord” is only a partial rendering of this thunderous exclamation. It makes those of us who’ve yet to see Him close up, or indeed any of his servants in His holy throne room, pause and reconsider how we are to live and best approach His seat of perfection, the standard by which His judgement will rest on each of us. How could anyone face such purity, being aware of one’s grimy condition?

 

That question was undoubtedly what so troubled Isaiah (Isaiah 6:3-5), as he cowered in the presence of the Almighty God and His seraphim. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”(v.5) Isaiah knew that it was dangerous to actually lay eyes upon the Lord God, for Moses had once asked God about this and had been warned that such a sight would be fatal (Exodus 33:20-23). So, that must have told the prophet what a grave risk it was to even be in His presence. If seeing was perilous, might not hearing also be just as hazardous? And it wasn’t just that God was being described as holy, but rather as holy multiplied three times, and therefore an emphasis on the infinite nature of His being. This was further underscored with what the Seraphim added -- the whole earth is full of his glory. He’s not just in one place but everywhere, making any effort to hide from this Divine One a futile exercise. All you can do is bow and beg for mercy. At least, that’s probably what Isaiah reckoned was his only recourse. What does one do, after all, during an earthquake when the doorposts and thresholds shake and a room is filled with smoke (v. 4)? I try to find cover or get out of the way of heavy objects that might crush my body. And, that was just a consequence of the sound of the words from the beings who proclaimed Him, the object of their announcement. Declaring Him is therefore a formidable assignment, as these heavenly beings must have understood intrinsically. Do we as humans, made in His image, always grasp that when we use His name or call out to Him?

 

Thank God for the next few verses of Isaiah chapter 6, for without them we’d have no hope. Instead, a seraph touched Isaiah with the God-provided medicine to atone for his mistakes (vv.6-7), prompting Isaiah to respond positively to the Lord’s call for a messenger. He responded in his era (7^th and 8^th Centuries BC), and I am one who can also respond some 28 centuries later. Though the seraphim did not mention them, there’s two other members of the Godhead that are so very important, Ones He has provided. Indeed, One is the embodiment of the metaphorical coal that touched Isaiah’s lips – Jesus Messiah – who compensates for my wrongs before the Holy Father; and the other is the Spirit, my guide, advocate, and counselor (John 14:15-31) who gives me daily what I need to stay in touch with God. I am thus released from danger when I echo the words of the seraphim. I can sing of the holiness of Him three times over, and honor the Son and the Spirit in the same breath, all without fear, even as I stand in awe of Him. Just picture His seraph-servant touching you with a piece of coal with Jesus’ imprint on it, while the Spirit translates God’s embrace.    

 

There have been many songs containing the words ‘Holy Is the Lord’, but see the Songs of Faith and Praise hymnal (hymn #32), by Howard Publishing, 1994, for the version discussed in this blog entry. This version of this song-hymn is also found here: https://hymnary.org/text/holy_holy_holy_holy_is_the_lord_holy_hol

 

Read here about the creatures that uttered the words of this song. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraph

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seraphim_-_Petites_Heures_de_Jean_de_Berry.jpg …This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States….image is found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraph

What Wondrous Love Is This? – Anonymous

Awe, and perhaps one might have said bewilderment, too. That’s what this anonymous songwriter was trying to convey when he or she wrote “What Wondrous Love Is This?” sometime in the early 19^th Century. The question that was asked is still one that is worthy of consideration even today, because no one can claim to have completely understood the mind of Him who gave His all for a fallen race. The answer to the question lingers unresolved, just as the origin of this hymn does, though there is some evidence that it might have come from somewhere in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States (see the map-graphic showing this area). It’s an ages-old theme that even scripture struggles to expose in a way that makes the mortal human understand. He loved. That’s it, but it’s packed with meaning, because this is a divine love. So, there is a point at which we humans cease trying to sort it all out, and we just live faithfully as best we can, knowing that we cannot live up to His standard nor answer with complete comprehension the ‘Why’ question. But, it is of no matter, because His love-act doesn’t require our perfection or our total grasp and ability to answer Him. Just accept His gift of love, and show it to others, with a certain astonishment. That’s all we humans can manage.   

 

‘What Wondrous Love Is This?’ has traditionally been counted among the innumerable works in the American folk hymn tradition. At least two sources suggest the song may have originated with someone in Appalachia; this possibility seems credible because of its first known publication in a collection known as A Ge­ne­ral Se­lect­ion of the New­est and Most Ad­mired Hymns and Spir­it­ual Songs Now in Use, by Stith Mead, which was published in Lynch­burg, Vir­gin­ia (of the Vir­gin­ia Con­fer­ence of the Me­thod­ist Epis­co­pal Church) in 1811. But, the author of its words remains unknown, as well as the particular circumstance that inspired the original poetry of seven verses. We can only speculate that this poem set forth the feelings of the author as he/she read a bible and was struck again and again by the concept of Godly love expressed in the Messiah. And, it wasn’t just a theory, was it? That He died for all humanity still confounds people today, even some in a tragic way that makes them doubt and refuse to accept what Christians hold to be true. After all, how could the Omnipotent One allow Himself to be killed, and in such a gruesome and shameful way? The author does not spend any more than the initial verse asking this burning question, and then spends the subsequent six verses extolling what He has done and its impact on those who receive His great gift – from the moment of belief to the first steps into eternity. Spread the news and join in the praise of what He did, even as ‘seraphs’ (v.3) do to acknowledge and serve Him. The author says repeatedly that he will sing in response (vv.4-7), and perhaps that is the basic message here: Just sing and give thanks.  

 

The song has a haunting quality to it, because of the key (D minor), as well as the question in the first verse that is also the song’s title. It can give my life some sense of how to approach daily living. I live with awe and wonder, and should always be trying to bring others into the same realization – that life with or without Him brings a gravity that cannot and should not be ignored – it’s one of profound and forever punishment if I do not choose Him, versus one that will bring eternal blessing and utter delight in being with Him and others who accept Him. You and I get to choose now, for that is part of the life experience, isn’t it? Do you prefer evil, or would you prefer someone who was willing to sacrifice for you? Try reading these passages: Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:14-18; Numbers 21:8; Galatians 3:13-14; 1 John 3:1; Revelation 1:5-6. Then ask yourself, how amazing is what He’s done, and why would you not want to be with someone so amazing for the rest of existence, for the rest of time in eternity? It’s a no-brainer, is it not?

 

 

See more information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990.

 

See also here for information on the song: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/w/h/a/t/w/whatwond.htm

 

See information on the image-map here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Appalachia_without_county_borders.svg …English: Map of Appalachia, red covers counties in the Appalachian Regional Comission, dark red covers "Consensus Appalachia" by John Alexander Williams, striped counties are not ARC counties. 19 February 2024…The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. This image is found inside the document at this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia

 

The Saving One -- Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Mia Fieldes

 

They call themselves Starfield, so you might assume that this indicates they want the fans, the ones who attend their concerts and-or listen to the music they make, to look upward toward heaven and where the One about whom they sing is watching. And that sense of their mission is reflected in what they have to say about “The Saving One”, that they are signposts for Him. Tim and Jon Neufeld (founding members of the Starfield band), with probably eager agreement by their collaborator, Mia Fieldes, say that they are worship leaders, pointing people to Jesus and not to themselves, though culture tries to lift up the people who are on stage singing. (Indeed, He’s the one at the center of attention in this reproduction of the painting Ecco Homo (Behold the Man!), by 19^th Century artist Antonio Ciseri, which depicts Jesus preparing to offer Himself as a sacrifice when Pilate asked the rabid crowd what should be done with Him.) The song that Tim, Jon, and Mia wrote was released in Feb 2010, but what they voice in it has been around for centuries. And yet it still needs to be said, because everyone will be heading for a forever place, eventually.

 

The Neufelds are from a small church in Winnipeg, Canada, carrying a big message that they themselves and those who’ve watched them perform say begins and ends with the One about whom they sing. They haven’t spelled out in detail why they wrote ‘The Saving One’, but they really don’t need to do so. In an interview they gave, Tim made it clear that they exist to direct attention to the person who’s the focus of their music: Jesus Christ. That part of themselves in their worship direction is also evident to others, including a reviewer of the album that the song title headlines. They don’t suspend their message by telling only about what Jesus did, but they also want to challenge believers to live like they mean it, to insert themselves into daily living with a purpose. And so, the lyrics of the song state with conviction what the God-Son did, inviting us who believe to also be unequivocal about life through Him. He is synonymous with words they sing, like ‘mercy’, ‘selflessness’, ‘peace’, ‘pardon’, ‘rescue(d)’, ‘bounty’, ‘love’ and ‘glory’. That these contrast so radically from the lyrics that tell of humans without Him – like ‘shame’, ‘slavery’, ‘sin’, ‘grave’, ‘fear’, and ‘darkness’ – is their point. It’s as if they are saying ‘look at the chasm that He’s bridged!’ So, when this group sings ‘Heaven can’t contain…’ Him, what they are suggesting, without explicitly saying so, is that His life and sacrifice for humanity isn’t just for us to applaud because heaven is our future home. We can lift up what He did, who He is, and what that means for us now, while we’re still unglorified mortals. ‘I am redeemed’, they sing, and ‘the grave is overcome’ even before I enter it. That’s a proclamation we who are saved should be wearing on our faces and in our attitudes, so that others can hear about death being defeated, the darkness overshadowed by joy, the fear that is cast out, and ‘the enemy (who is) destroyed’. Who wouldn’t want to be on the winning side in this kind of episode?   

 

Are others not listening, or are we saying too little about what Starfield and the Neufelds have emphasized in ‘The Saving One’? Perhaps it’s a bit of both. There is so much to distract here on planet Earth; even the God-Son saw this phenomenon exert itself right in front of Him, including among those who’d been His most ardent followers. It’s just that the non-believers have travelled further along the path away from Him for longer than those who truly believe Him. But, I have to say that it is not easy some days, even for me as a Jesus-follower. How many emails do I get daily, how many bills must I manage and pay, how many tasks on my calendar? These are just a few. Are you and I really that different? If it’s overpowering some days, just turn it all off, at least for a few moments, and turn on what Tim, Jon, and Mia are saying. The biggest issue for me is one that He’s already solved.     

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=costCQfWZa0 (see the comment at the 3:50 – 4:20 mark)

 

See some comments about the band’s style and purpose when they perform in concert:  https://www.indievisionmusic.com/reviews/starfield-the-saving-one/

 

Read about the musical group that the two principal composers are in here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfield_(band)

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ecce_homo_by_Antonio_Ciseri_(1).jpg …The author died in 1891, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930. The image may be found within this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus