Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is a communion hymn by John Bell and Graham Maule, “Bread is blessed and broken”. Like many of their hymns, the tune is easy to learn (although with a wide range vocally – bottom B♭ is at the edge of my tenor range, and top E♭ might be stretching it for others).
In the first verse we declare that bread and wine are blessed, broken and poured so that we might remember Christ as Lord. The emphasis is the remainder of the hymn is not on the death of Christ as such, but on the “benefits of his passion” in the words of the Book of Common Prayer. The second verse refers to the sacrament as “food of heaven” and “grace i essence” (also the title of Bell’s tune). The third verse is about forgiveness, restoration and Christ as our friend; and the last is about God’s promise of Christ himself as his gift.
The common last line to all the verses is “Christ the Lord” – the one whom we remember, the one symbolised by bread and wine (or actually present in them, if you prefer), his offer of forgiveness and reconciliation, and the one who is always present (but especially when we come together to worship him in this way).
As I said at Morning Prayer, I’m not that easy about singing Communion songs at non-Eucharistic services, but I do think that John Bell succeeds in putting the focus on Jesus and not just on the meal, and in that sense the hymn is OK. Yes, the tune does have a wide range, and it’s probably best that it is quite short so as not to strain the voices.