Deeper shade of grey | broken bread

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nd he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,”This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Luke 22:19

To enter this scripture through Lectio Divina was interesting for me last week on Maundy Thursday; to fast from the proof texts of a polarised and perhaps tired debate in TSA and to meditate on what shone for me revealed something of an obvious surprise.

“For you….”

I wonder what shone for Albert Orsborn the General who penned My life must be Christ’s broken bread, originally as a song? To me he got it, he understood the sense of “for you…” I’m thinking that to reduce these words to a Salvationist apologetic for its position on sacraments is a disservice to the sentiment of mission that Orsborn captured long before mission became a euphemism for evangelism or was introduced as a trendy word to sell books. The sacrament is Christ himself; his life that was the Reign of God. Perhaps what the church needs to capture and dare I say ‘remember’, is the sense of “for you…” that Jesus modelled and calls us to.

With this going through my head we sang Matt Spencer’s reworking of Orsborn’s classic and I was affected through being surprised by God!!

My life must be Christ’s broken bread,
My love His outpoured wine,
A cup o’erfilled, a table spread
Beneath His name and sign.
That other souls, refreshed and fed,
May share His life through mine.

My all is in the Master’s hands
For Him to bless and break;
Beyond the brook His winepress stands
And thence my way I take,
Resolved the whole of love’s demands
To give, for His dear sake.

Lord, let me share that grace of Thine
Wherewith Thou didst sustain
The burden of the fruitful vine,
The gift of buried grain.
Who dies with Thee, O Word divine,
Shall rise and live again.

Lord, I would wash my brother’s feet,
and meet my sister’s need.
Obedient to Your command to share
Your love in deed.
My life abandoned to Your will;
a living, breathing creed.

O, let me be a sacrament,
from self and sin set free,
A holy mystery of grace;
the life of Christ in me!
Complete surrender! I am Yours!
I would faithful be.

(Verses 1-3 Albert Orsborn copyright TSA & 4 & 5 copyright 2008 Matt Spencer)

Deeper shade of grey appears every Wednesday on theRubicon. Find past posts and a bio of Capt. Gordon Cotterill here.

1 Comment to Deeper shade of grey | broken bread

1. Gordon:

   Thanks for reminding us what we are about instead of what we’re not about.

   Andrea
Andrea614Regent on March 26th, 2008

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