Maybe he thought the communion songs he’d heard and sung needed something more. Was that what moved Lloyd Otis Sanderson to write something brand new, his own thoughts or maybe words he’d heard spoken about “‘Tis Set the Feast Divine” ? He was 47 and living probably in Memphis, Tennessee, and had been a music lover his whole life when he penned his two verses about this special meal. Many believers might say that this meal – admittedly sparse in its physical content, in comparison to any other meals we could imagine – is the most significant part of a first-day-of-the-week routine. Maybe Lloyd thought it had indeed become too routine, and that a reminder of just what was going on during this customary activity was needed. As a sometime preacher, Lloyd may have had a lot more to say (including when he used a hymn writer’s pseudonym Vana R. Raye [an alteration of his wife’s name, Rena Ray]) than what he voiced in condensed version in these two verses. Look forward to talking to Lloyd more about the feast, and enjoy for now what his words continue to share.
Lloyd Sanderson had been engaged in various musical enterprises by 1948 when he wrote about a weekly observance called by various names. He’d probably heard it called ‘Lord’s Supper’, ‘Communion’, or ‘Eucharist’, as well as ‘Sacrament’ or ‘Mass’ in other faith traditions. Lloyd thought of it as the ‘Feast Divine’, though he too thought of it as a time to commune (v.1), or as a supper (vv.1-2). From his college training, editorial and publishing experience (Gospel Advocate and Christian Counselor, and many music guides), and travels to teach singing, Lloyd had undoubtedly gathered lots of input about this special weekly event. It’s said that he thought music should reach into a person’s soul, not to the ‘flesh’, and that a song’s worthy idea must be matched by its form. Lloyd also wanted his poetry to reflect proper English and share the truth. ‘Tis Set the Feast Divine’ must have accomplished all these objectives in Lloyd’s estimation, without undue adornment. And, nothing comes through but what Lloyd must have gathered was present in scripture – that the meal was initiated by God, and therefore ‘divine’; that the contents (bread and fruit of the vine, aka wine) were His idea; and that its effect is profound for its partakers. Besides being divine, it’s a ‘shrine’ (v.1), reflects a ‘holy concern’, and reminds us that His presence is something for which we ‘yearn’ (v.2), words that relate that Lloyd wanted members to think of the feast not as a well-worn tradition. Taking in God should not be without some renewal, a reminder of Him and His accomplishment. Lloyd did not need other words; indeed, he was taking his cues from the divine, right along with the meal that he ate with other believers. What the Lord had already given was sufficient – in fact, miraculous, a reflection of Himself. No doubt, Lloyd already knew this, so savoring the morsel of bread and the sip of wine to its maximum effect was probably what Lloyd was after. The operative word is ‘divine’.
This God we see in Lloyd’s song also served other divine meals. And, they were no less miraculous than the one I eat weekly. Bible stories tell us he fed thousands (Matthew 14 and 15), turning scant supplies into bounty. And, there will be a feast in Eternity (Rev. 19), one which Lloyd and the rest of us are preparing to eat someday. One suspects that Lloyd had absorbed that these other meals were or will be served by the divine hand’s inspiration. Divine means it just cannot be ordinary, or is even comparable to the best meals prepared by human hands. Maybe it was a Thanksgiving or some other holiday meal, but eventually, all that food vanished. Think of how His compares. He can make food in His meals appear out of nowhere. Do you think His food will ever run out in heaven? Let’s you and me, and Lloyd go find out!.
See the following site for very brief biography of the author-composer: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/s/a/n/d/sanderson_lo.htm
Also see the following book for more information: Our Garden of Song, edited by Gene C. Finley, Howard Publishing Company, West Monroe, LA, 1980.
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