“At the Lord’s Table” by Horatius Bonar, 1808-1889
“Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face; Here would I touch and handle things unseen, Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace, And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
Here would I feed upon the bread of God, Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heaven; Here would I lay aside each earthly load, Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.
This is the hour of banquet and of son; This is the heavenly table spread for me; Here let the feast, and feasting, still prolong The brief bright hour of fellowship with Thee.
Too soon we rise; the symbols disappear; The feast, though not the love, is past and gone; The bread and wine remove, but Thou are here, Nearer than ever; still my Shield and Sun.
I have no help but Thine; nor do I need Another arm save Thine to lean upon; It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed; My strength is in Thy might, Thy might alone.
Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness; Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood; Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace, – Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God.
Feast after feast thus comes and passes by, Yet, passing, points to the glad feast above, Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy, The Lamb’s great bridal feast of bliss and love.
“Prayer Before Communion” by Reginald Heber, 1783-1826 Bread of the world, in mercy broken, Wine of the soul, in mercy shed, By whom the words of life were spoken, And in whose death our sins are dead: 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.