DOCTRINES >> COMMUNION
SDAH 404
Now let us from this table rise
Renewed in body, mind, and soul;
With Christ we die and live again,
His selfless love has made us whole.
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For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: Now Let Us From This Table Rise
Written by Fred Kaan in 1964, this hymn reminds us that the Lord’s Supper is not only a moment of reflection but a sending forth to serve. Inspired by 1 Corinthians 12:25, it speaks of Communion as the “sacrament of care”—a call to share Christ’s love with the world beyond the table. Set to the French melody DEUS TUORUM MILITUM, once sung for martyrs, this post-Communion hymn beautifully links worship with mission. As we rise from the table, may we go forth to live out the Bread of Life in our daily service.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
This is the first hymn written by Frederik Kaan (1929- ; see Plymouth Biographies), and was one of many he wrote during his ministry at Plymouth to fill the gaps in the hymnbook, particularly in the areas of baptism, marriage, and Communion. It was written in 1964 and appeared in Pilgrim Praise, 1967, one of fifteen hymns listed especially for the Communion service.
Kaan’s paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 12:25, “the sacrament of care,” adopted as the theme of the 145th International Assembly of the World Federation of Diaconal Associations, held at Warwick University, July 1983; this hymn was used as the theme song. The particular emphasis on this as a post-Communion hymn is that it shows that the Lord’s breaking the bread and sharing it with His disciples was symbolic of His desire for them in turn to share Him, the Bread of Life, to the world. The Communion service, then, is not only a time of worship but also a preparation for service.
DEUS TUORUM MILITUM (God of Thy Soldiers) is a French melody found in the Grenoble Antiphoner, 1753, as a hymn for martyrs. For half a century from about 1670, French melodies of this type began to displace the former plainsong chants. They were collected by François de la Feillee in his Méthode du Plain-Chant et de la Psalmodie, 1750, which ultimately went into eight editions. Most of these French melodies were either in triple time and Long Meter, or in Sapphic Meter, that is, 11.11.11.5. The arrangement is by Melvin West (1930- ).
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Now let us from this table rise
Renewed in body, mind, and soul;
With Christ we die and live again,
His selfless love has made us whole.
2
With minds alert, upheld by grace,
To spread the word in speech and deed,
We follow in the steps of Christ,
At one with all in hope and need.
3
To fill each human house with love,
It is the sacrament of care;
The work that Christ began to do
We humbly pledge ourselves to share.
4
Then grant us courage, Father God,
To choose again the pilgrim way
And help us to accept with joy
The challenge of tomorrow’s day.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Gal 2:20 (b) 1 Pet 1:21
Author
Fred H. Kaan (1929-2009)
Copyright
Words copyright 1968 by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Arrangement copyright 1984 by Melvin West.
Hymn Tune
DEUS TUORUM MILITUM
Metrical Number
L.M.
Arranged
Melvin West, 1984 (1930-)
Tune Source
Grenoble Antiphoner, 1753
