12 Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things
created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things
were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and
by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body,
the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all
things he might have the preeminence. (Col 1:12-18)
19 And he took bread, and gave
thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This
is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after
supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my
blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:19-20)
This Communion hymn reminds us of the ever Presence of Christ with the
believer, and most emphatically so during the Service at the Lord's Table at
Holy Communion. Lyrics are by Edward Osley, 1836, and the tune is St. Flavian,
1563. My mother favorite tune was an alternate Irish tune published in Dublin,
Ireland in 1749.
O God, Unseen, Yet Ever Near
O God, unseen yet ever near,
thy presence may we feel;
and thus inspired with holy fear,
before thine altar kneel.
Here may thy faithful people know
the blessings of thy love,
the streams that through the
desert flow,
the manna from above.
We come, obedient to thy word,
to feast on heavenly food;
our meat the body of the Lord,
our drink his precious blood.
Thus may we all thy Word obey,
for we, O God, are thine;
and go rejoicing on our way,
renewed with strength divine.
O God, unseen yet ever near, thy presence may we feel; and thus inspired
with holy fear, before thine altar kneel. In the Anglican Church of the Reformation (which church we
are in the AOC) there is no altar before which to kneel - only the Lord's Table
as the Book of Common Prayer clearly stipulates. An altar is for the killing of
the sacrifice, but Christ died once and for all for our sins, and we do not 'sacrifice'
Him again as do the Roman Catholics. Moreover, we do not have a cross on our
Lord's Table with Christ still on it, for He arose from the dead and is no
longer on that rugged old cross. We feel the presence at all times of Christ
with us, but He is with us in a particularly strong and meaningful way at the
partaking of Bread and Wine of Communion. It represents the essence of our
redemption. Our Lord's Table is centrally located, and the pulpits are offset
from center. Why is this so? It is because the central place in our worship is
always Christ and not man. The Holy fear that we should feel at the Lord's
Table is not a fear unto death, but a fear unto LIFE, for He is our Lord, our
King, our God, and our Father; and good children are always fearful to dishonor
or disobey their loving father.
In the elements of Bread and Wine, we comprehend the Body and Blood of our Lord
and Savior. The BREAD (Body) is that physical manifestation that we have of
Christ that teaches us of Him and His Nature - it is His WORD from beginning to
end - Alpha and Omega, and every letter in between. The Bread is whole Bread
and no leavened for He was without sin, and we are all part of that Bread at
Communion. And the WINE (Blood) represents His purchase of our salvation. It is
the LIFE of the Church and of its people. It is the SPIRITUAL nourishment that
perpetuates our being. As wine warms the heart and lifts the spirits, so does
the Spirit of Christ make alive and renew our souls in joy and hope. Here
may thy faithful people know the blessings of thy love, the streams that
through the desert flow, the manna from above. Jesus is like the
Jordan River. He flows through the wilderness areas bringing green belts of
life wherever His healing waters flow. He brings life and the Bread of Heaven
(which Bread He is) every place He goes. Even in times when we do not know His
Presence, we may FEEL it right by our sides. Remember the two men on the Road
to Emmaus on the Sunday of the Lord's resurrection? He walked and talked with
these men during the journey, but they did not KNOW Him until He divided the
Bread to them in their own house. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat
at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and
they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another,
Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while
he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:30-32)
We come, obedient to thy word, to feast on heavenly food; our meat the
body of the Lord, our drink his precious blood. Our moments of
repentance should be most humble made before the partaking of the Lord's Supper
because it is that time when our feet approach most completely the Holy ground
before the Table of the Lord. We honor our Lord with our love and obedience;
but if we harbor hatred toward a brother or sister, or secret sins in our
hearts, we dishonor the Majesty of High, and we bring heapings of disgrace upon
our own souls. 26 For as often as ye eat this
bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat
this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the
body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself,
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's
body. 30 For this cause many are weak and
sickly among you, and many sleep. (1 Cor 11:26-30)
Thus may we all thy Word obey, for we, O God, are thine; and go rejoicing
on our way, renewed with strength divine. Do you remember that
Jesus told Peter, And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt
16:18) In this
passage, the name 'Peter (petros)' means a stone, or small rock; but the term
Jesus for the Rock (Petras) upon which the Church is built is Large ROCK.
Peter would be a stone cut from the large Rock that is Christ - just as are we
all who believe and obey. 1 Moreover, brethren, I would not
that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and
all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses
in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same
spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Cor
10:1-4) We are all
stones from the Rock that is Christ or, as they say in Tennessee, chips off the
old block. We should approve that which Christ approves, and reject that which
Christ rejects. All of our old free wills (wills in bondage to sin) must be
replaced with His Will (true Liberty in Christ). The love of christ puts a song
and a melody in the heart of the believer that needs no instrument or orchestra
to perform. 6 I call to remembrance my song in
the night: I commune with mine own heart. (Psalm 77:6) Ye shall have a song, as in
the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one
goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of
Israel. (Isaiah 30:29) We rejoice at sundry times that
the world cannot comprehend - while walking, driving, sitting by the fire,
beholding the natural beauty of a baby or a rock-crowned mountain - all things
are beautiful to the eyes of the believer, for God has placed beauty in them to
behold beauty. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all
thy waves and thy billows. (Psalms 42:7a)
The Lord renews our strength as an old eagle whose feathers are replenished
with new and shining feathers. We mount up as the eagle, and we soar in the
power, and upon the winds, of God's spirit. Have you known that power, my
friends?
