Sunday, March 17, 2024  

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Today's Hymn
“Break Thou the Bread of Life”

Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
as thou didst break the loaves beside the sea.
Beyond the sacred page I seek thee, Lord.
My spirit pants for thee, O living Word!

Bless thou the truth, dear Lord, now unto me,
as thou didst bless the bread by Galilee.
Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall.
And I shall find my peace, my all in all.

by Mary Ann Lathbury
Hymn 460, Glory to God

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Reflection

I have spent many summer vacations at Lakeside, a 150-year-old religion-inspired Chautauqua community beside Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio. I first heard Trinity Church’s Reverend Otis Moss Jr. preach there. His dynamic messages left an indelible impression and reinforced the Chautauqua movement’s aim of imparting religious and cultural education.

This hymn’s author — professional artist Mary Artemisia Lathbury and a Chautauqua movement founder — wrote it in 1877 beside Lake Chautauqua in New York, where another of several initial Chautauqua camps emerged (but few remain today).

This context helps us understand why Ms. Lathbury, inspired perhaps by Lake Chautauqua, pictures Jesus sitting by the Sea of Galilee feeding the multitudes with loaves and fish. The setting inspires her request that our Lord “break thou the bread of life … as thou didst break the loaves beside the sea.” Why? Because “then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall.” And it would deliver her and, by implication, all of us peace.

While the hymn is often sung at Communion, its influential messages go far beyond our Christian ritual and “the sacred page.” Notice the powerful actions that it depicts Jesus delivering: Truth. Freedom from bondage. Peace. The hymn captures so well Jesus’ self-description in John 6 as the living bread of life.

It is so clear, isn’t it, that Jesus provides spiritual sustenance as well as physical nourishment. And for many of us, a hunger in our soul yearns for a deeper relationship with the living Christ and his “living Word.” This hymn’s potent voice is so vital at Lent. It imparts and underscores the transformative power of his scripture teachings and his sacrifice for us all.

Imagine yourself at the edge of a favorite lake as you listen to this beautiful rendition of the hymn.

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Prayer
O nurturing and nourishing God, thank you for reminding us that you are our bread of life. Help and guide us to subdue our own hunger to know you better through a life-giving relationship where we benefit from more of your truth. Amen.

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Written by Tim Schellhardt, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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