Scripture Verse

He directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:18–21

Introduction

Words: Joseph H. Clinch, in Church­man’s Trea­su­ry of Song (Lon­don: Me­thu­en, 1907), pag­es 264–65.

Music: Long Beach Da­ni­el B. Tow­ner, 1912. Pub­lished in Life Songs, ed­it­ed by John D. Brunk & Sam­uel F. Coff­man (Scott­dale, Penn­syl­van­ia: Men­non­ite Pub­lish­ing House, 1916), num­ber 71 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Clinch (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Daniel B. Towner (1850–1919)

Lyrics

Thousands comp­lete­ly fed
With a few loaves of bread
Such as would bare­ly form
One house­hold’s fare,
And, when the feast was o’er,
The frag­ments were a store
Enough for needy hun­dreds
Still to share.

What was the pow­er that wrought
This won­der pass­ing thought?
What but that Word di­vine,
Which called of yore
Systems and suns to grace
The migh­ty realms of space,
And then with life and beau­ty
Spread them o’er?

God on­ly can create;
None less could ar­ro­gate
The pow­er to sway all
Nature with a nod!
O Christ! be Thou adored,
For that cre­at­ive word
Which blessed the bread was God’s,
And Thou art God!