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This Sunday's anthem includes the text (though not the original tune) of a hymn written by Brian Wren for his congregation in 1968, as the summation of a sermon series on communion. Since the Second Vatican Council, many communion hymns, focused previously on the Lord's Supper as a memorial observance, now shifted their focus to how communion shapes the Christian community as the body of Christ.
I love the words of this hymn!
The first line speaks of a joyful attitude when coming to the table.
I come with joy to meet my Lord,
Forgiven, loved and free,
In awe and wonder to recall
His life laid down for me.
The second verse reminds us that we are not isolated in penitence, but part of a broader Christian community of love, empowered by Christ's shared communion bread.
I come with Christians far and near
To find, as all are fed,
The new community of love
In Christ's communion bread.
As part of that new community of love, we share the feast, and our eyes are opened to see in this sacrament what we have in common, as we lay aside our differences.
As Christ breaks bread and bids us share,
Each proud division ends.
The love that made us makes us one,
And strangers now are friends.
We are reminded that Christ's presence is better known in the friendship shared at the table.
And thus with joy we meet our Lord:
His presence, always near,
Is in such friendship better known;
We see and praise him here.
Finally, we depart from the table, changed by the experience, and go out to live as changed children of God!
Together met, together bound,
We'll go our different ways,
And as his people in the world,
We'll live and speak his praise.
One thing I have learned during this pandemic is we can celebrate communion together, even when we're apart. Whether you are attending in-person worship, are alone in your car at drive-in worship, or are worshiping at home while watching our livestream, when you are taking communion, remember that in this act you are not alone, but part of the whole body of Christ, the Christian church.
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