Communion Hymns

Originally scheduled for May 17

Those who grew up using the old hymnology might recall that hymnals usually included an index listing of the hymns. You had Easter hymns, Christmas carols and usually something for Thanksgiving as well. But offerings for communion were very few. A “communion hymn” is a rather rare beast. There are several reasons for this.
·         Writing such a hymn quickly draws the mind to the great themes of the New Testament — which makes the hymn much more suitable for other occasions as well.
·         For those who like their hymns with a more vigorous tempo, the nature of communion being rather contemplative, the hymn quickly marches off to a different drummer.
The result is that most good communion hymns are in fact not designed that way. They are adopted is communion hymns because they seem to fit in that particular niche.
 
A fine example of this is The Church’s One Foundation. Written in the late 1800’s, it was intended to weigh in on a doctrinal dispute in the Church of England. We will examine the second verse, and I think the point will be clear.
Elect from ev'ry nation,
Yet one o'er all the Earth,
Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With ev'ry grace endued.
 
Note, please, the doctrines which are covered in this one verse.
·         The universality of the church.
·         The unity of the church.
·         The uniqueness of Christ.
·         The integrity of doctrine.
·         Baptism is the entry rite.
·         The holiness of God’s name.
·         The uniqueness of communion.
·         The hope of the resurrection of the dead.
·         Salvation by grace.
That’s quite a list. To cover those topics individually would take quite some time, but in the form of a poetic hymn, one verse touches them all. Communion has a similar capability, but without the words. In the cup we see the blood of Christ, sacrificed for our sins. The doctrine of the atonement is clearly there. In the bread we see his body, hung on the cross for us. It is an easy picture to understand; and like the hymn, easy to memorize.
 
Hymns must be sung; communion must be taken bodily. Perhaps the best test for the Christian is in the season of doubt. Does the memory of communion, like the hymn, bring back the truth to the mind? Remember: you partake of communion; you proclaim the death of Christ until he comes again to judge the living and the dead. When doubt rears up you have communion and the various hymns to look back on and live.