Here in this holy place,
Beyond the veil,
Your awesome presence bids us silent now.
In holy fear we stand, feeling the breath
Of Your Spirit blowing here.
Cleansed by the precious blood,
Now we draw near
In full assurance of your perfect love.
Boldly we come before Your throne of grace
For Your Spirit calls us here.
Correcting an abuse of the Lord's Supper
17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat,21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.'25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.'26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.30 That is why many among you are weak and ill, and a number of you have fallen asleep.31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
And when I come I will give further instructions.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!
We come as guests invited,
When Jesus bids us dine,
His friends on earth united,
To share the bread and wine;
The bread of life is broken,
The wine is freely poured,
For us, in solemn token,
Of Christ our dying Lord.
We eat and drink, receiving
From Christ the grace we need,
And in our hearts believing
On Him by faith we feed;
With wonder and thanksgiving
For love that knows no end,
We find in Jesus living,
Our ever-present Friend.
One Bread is ours for sharing,
One single fruitful Vine,
Our fellowship declaring,
Renewed in bread and wine -
Renewed, sustained and given,
By token, sign and word,
The pledge and seal of heaven,
The love of Christ our Lord.