Here at thy table, Lord

with BREAD OF LIFE

I. Text: Origins

Not much is known about the circumstances behind this hymn, except it was written by Mary (“May”) P. Hoyt (1849–1923), who at the time was working at a hospital in Albany, New York, in a job involving hospitality. Her capacity there must have been unusual and varied, because she wrote, “I have no official name and my position is rather unique.”[1] She submitted two hymns for inclusion in The Church Hymnary: “Here at thy table, Lord,” dated 1889 and included in the first edition (1890 | Fig. 1), and “Though life be long and life be sad,” dated 1898 and included in the revised edition (1900). The hymnal’s editor was Edwin A. Bedell (1853–1908), who was organist for the Second Reformed Church in Albany. The connection between Hoyt and Bedell is unknown.

 

Fig. 1. The Church Hymnary (NY: Charles E. Merrill & Co., 1890).

 

Hoyt’s text was given in four stanzas of eight lines (6.4.6.4.D, arguably equivalent to 10.10.10.10). She almost certainly intended her hymn to be sung to this tune, BREAD OF LIFE by William F. Sherwin, in place of the text “Break thou the bread of life” by Mary A. Lathbury.

II. Text: Analysis

Although this hymn’s predecessor, “Break thou the bread of life,” is sometimes associated with Communion, it is better regarded as a hymn for illumination, in honor of the study and teaching of the holy Word. Hoyt’s hymn, by contrast, is more fitting for the eucharistic table, with its clear references to bread and cup.

The first stanza sets the stage by describing the circumstances—gathered at the table (the “banquet hall”)—and by preparing the worshiper, for a sacred time/act, for feeling the nearness or presence of Christ, and for a heart-check, setting aside “self and sin.” The second stanza asks the Lord to be present and facilitate the meal. Three outcomes from the experience are pardon, peace, and release from bondage. The third stanza speaks more about the benefits of the table, including a fuller, sweeter faith, strength to meet each day, spiritual satisfaction, and salvation. The final stanza returns the manner of address back to Christ, as a prayer, seeking daily sustenance, help, and grace, until the day when all are gathered in their eternal home. Modern hymnals typically update the pronouns and sometimes reduce the number of stanzas.

by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
18 March 2021

Footnotes:

  1. Martha Burt Wright & Anna M. Bancroft, History of the Oread Collegiate Institute, Worcester, Mass. (1849–1881) with Biographical Sketches (New Haven, CT: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Co., 1905), p. 207: Archive.org

Related Resources:

William J. Reynolds, “Here at your table, Lord,” Handbook to the Baptist Hymnal (Nashville: Convention Press, 1992), p. 138.

“Here at thy table, Lord,” Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/here_at_thy_table_lord_this_sacred_hour