Sing to the Trinity

Christian worship should be explicitly trinitarian. Through the Son we have access to the Father by the Spirit. Note the way Paul includes all three persons of the Trinity as he blesses God in Ephesians 1:3-14. When choosing hymns for worship on the Lord's Day, I always try and select at least one hymn that makes reference to all three persons of the godhead; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The 2004 edition of Christian Hymns has 18 hymns (no's 40-58) in the section entitled 'Triune God', but many hymns outside of that section are trinitarian in character, for example: 130, 138, 150, 370, 394 and 483.

We also use the much maligned Praise! hymnbook. I have to admit that the editors were rather clumsy in the way they modernised some of the older hymns, but there are some lovely trinitarian hymns in the book, both old and new. Numbers 151-165 are gathered under the heading, 'The eternal Trinity', but several hymns beyond that section are also wonderfully trinitarian, for instance: 169, 176, 177, 273, 538, 543, 629, 624 and 795.

Singing trinitarian hymns will help our people see that the doctrine of the Trinity is not an abstract theological conundrum. That we have been brought into communion with the triune God should be the heartbeat of experiential Christianity. Our God has revealed himself to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so sing to the Trinity!