Watts Communion Hymn

[Jesus invites his saints
To meet around his board;
Here pardoned rebels sit and hold
Communion with their Lord.

For food he gives his flesh,
He bids us drink his blood;
Amazing favor! matchless grace
Of our descending God!]

This holy bread and wine
Maintains our fainting breath,
By union with our living Lord,
And int'rest in his death.

Our heav'nly Father calls
Christ and his members one;
We the young children of his love,
And he the first-born Son.

We are but several parts
Of the same broken bread;
One body hath its several limbs,
But Jesus is the head.

Let all our powers be joined
His glorious name to raise;
Pleasure and love fill every mind,
And every voice be praise

(Isaac Watts, HT Dave Bish)

God the giver

These are the three persons and one God, who has given himself to us all wholly and completely, with all that he is and has. The Father gives himself to us, with heaven and earth and all the creatures, in order that they may serve us and benefit us. But this gift has become obscured and useless through Adam’’s fall. Therefore the Son himself subsequently gave himself and bestowed all his works, sufferings, wisdom, and righteousness, and reconciled us to the Father, in order that restored to life and righteousness, we might also know and have the Father and his gifts. But because this grace would benefit no one if it remained so profoundly hidden and could not come to us, the Holy Spirit comes and gives himself to us also, wholly and completely. He teaches us to understand this deed of Christ which has been manifested to us, helps us receive and preserve it, use it to our advantage and impart it to others, increase and extend it. He does this both inwardly and outwardly——inwardly by means of faith and other spiritual gifts, outwardly through the gospel, Baptism, and the sacrament of the altar, through which as through three means or methods he comes to us and inculcates the sufferings of Christ for the benefit of our salvation.(Confession Concerning Christ’ s Supper of 1528, LW 37:366)

HT Glen Scrivener/Gene Vieth