Scripture Verse

He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Luke 22:19

Introduction

portrait
Lydia H. Sigourney
(1791–1865)

Words: Ly­dia H. Si­gour­ney, in Psalms and Hymns, for Chris­tian Use and Wor­ship, Ge­ne­ral As­so­ci­ation of Con­nec­ti­cut (New Ha­ven, Con­nec­ti­cut: Dur­rie & Peck, 1845), num­ber 556.

Music: St. Pe­ter (Rei­na­gle) Al­ex­an­der R. Rei­na­gle, 1836 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

portrait
Alexander R. Reinagle (1799–1877)

Lyrics

Lord, may the spir­it of this feast—
The ear­nest of Thy love—
Maintain a dwell­ing in our breast,
Until we meet above.

The heal­ing sense of par­doned sin,
The hope that ne­ver tires,
The strength a pil­grim’s race to win,
The joy that Heav’n in­spires.

Still may their light our du­ties trace
In lines of hal­lowed flame,
Like that upon the pro­phet’s face,
When from the mount he came.

But if no more with kin­dred dear
The brok­en bread we share,
Nor at the ban­quet board appear
To breathe the grate­ful prayer:

Forget us not—when on the bed
Of dire dis­ease we waste,
Or to the cham­bers of the dead,
And bar of judg­ment haste.

Forget not—Thou who bore the woe
Of Calvary’s fa­tal tree—
Those who with­in these courts be­low
Have thus re­mem­bered Thee.