DOCTRINES >> COMMUNION
SDAH 398
Bread of the world in mercy broken,
Wine of the soul in mercy shed,
By whom the words of life are spoken,
And in whose death our sins are dead;
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: Bread of the World
Written by Reginald Heber and originally titled Before the Sacrament, this brief but profound Communion hymn invites worshipers to approach Christ with a humble, contrite heart. The imagery of broken bread and shed blood parallels the penitent’s own brokenness and need for grace. The gentle tune COMMUNION, written by SDA composer Stanley Ledington, enhances its quiet reverence, making it a fitting meditation for the Lord’s Supper.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
This hymn is one of many written by the Anglican vicar Reginald Heber (1783-1826; see SDAH 47) for special services of the church year. It was published posthumously in his Hymns Written and Adapted for the Weekly Services of the Year, 1827, with the title “Before the Sacrament.” The broken bread and Jesus’ shed blood are used to sustain an unusual parallel in the broken heart and shed tears of a contrite sinner; the “love feast” is a type of spiritual food to the soul.
Heber also wrote SDAH 47, “God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven,” and SDAH 73, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
COMMUNION was written especially for these words in 1938 by Stanley Ledington (1889-1974), of Durham, England. He studied organ in Plymouth, and later emigrated to the United States, where he studied composition in Minneapolis and in Chicago. He was a teacher of art and music in various Seventh-day Adventist colleges, including Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska, for 40 years. Ledington also composed SDAH 667, BENEDICTION.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Bread of the world in mercy broken,
Wine of the soul in mercy shed,
By whom the words of life are spoken,
And in whose death our sins are dead;
2
Look on the heart by sorrow broken,
Look on the tears by sinners shed;
And be Thy feast to us the token
That by Thy grace our souls are fed. Amen.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Matt 26:26-28 (b) Ps 51:17; Luke 7:44; Matt 11:29
Author
Reginald Heber (1783-1826)
Hymn Tune
COMMUNION
Metrical Number
9.8.9.8.
Composer
Stanley Ledington (1889-1974)
Year Composed
1939
Alternate Tune
RENDEZ A DIEU, SDAH 13
