Vineyard Evensong Part 10

As we continue in our discussion of the elements of Vineyard Evensong let’s talk about the “Sanctus”. “Sanctus” is the Latin for “holy”.

Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we proclaim Your great and glorious name, for ever praising You and singing
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might
Heaven and earth are filled with Your Glory…
Hosanna, Hosanna, in the Highest…
Hallelujah, Hallelujah…

The first part of the “Sanctus” comes from Isaiah 6:1-8:
Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV)
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “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.”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
The second part of the Sanctus is derived from Matthew 21:1-11 as Jesus makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV)
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.
3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
I think that the contrasts between the two portrayals of God are awesome. In the first part of the “Sanctus” God is being worshiped in His throne room by angels calling to one another “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” I picture this as the angels on one side of the throne room crying out “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty” and then all the angels on the other side of throne room responding with “the whole earth is full of his glory.” And that it just keeps going on, back and forth, over and over again as they worship God in His holiness and glory. The second part of the “Sanctus” gives us a completely different picture of our Holy God. This time we see Jesus, fully God and fully man, entering Jerusalem on a donkey as He prepares for the cross. It is a picture of His true holiness and glory as He willingly gives it all at the cross so that we might have our relationship restored with Him and in Him have access to the throne room so that we might join with the angels around the throne and worship His majesty.