‘Tis Set the Feast Divine -- Lloyd O. Sanderson

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.

There's a Royal Banner -- Daniel Webster Whittle and Lloyd Otis Sanderson

It’s seems clear from his words over 20 years later that he was still affected by the experience. He had noticeable body scars and still wore a name that told others of that life-changing experience. Had he perhaps carried the flag of war for his unit in battle (perhaps not unlike the one shown here being carried by knights in about 1301)? Daniel Webster Whittle might quickly tell you or me that another event that coincided with his war likewise had a long-lasting impact. But, he could not have known that his reflection on war in “There’s a Royal Banner” (also known as the “Banner of the Cross”) would be picked up by another, one Lloyd Otis Sanderson, whose birth and songwriting milestones three generations after his own would have curious coincidences with his life. It would be interesting to see these two meet sometime, and marvel over how the musical Spirit might have been at work.  

Daniel Whittle had a name and the war experience to match as he developed a hymn (one that a fellow hymnist would later enlarge) in 1887 that he must have wanted to relate to another, larger battle. He’d been in the U.S. Civil War, and having lost his right arm and still carrying the name ‘Major’— his wartime rank—he still thought plenty about how his life took a turn as a young man in his early 20s. He may have lost an arm, but he gained something else – a Christian faith – while imprisoned in a camp. His postwar experience eventually linked him to Dwight Moody and evangelism that became the purpose of his being. So, as a 47-year old one-armed preacher, it wasn’t hard for Major Whittle to tell others that life was a battle, and that it mattered what side you chose. Of course, choose God! Whittle’s memory, as a hospital-bound prisoner some 25 years earlier, probably still reverberated. Just check out the words ‘soldiers’, ‘crimson banner’, and of course ‘marching’ in his poetry, all conjuring mental images of what Daniel had known personally, intimately, even brutally. His words say ‘transform all that’: If you’re to be a prisoner-of-war, be one in Christ’s battle. You think that might have resonated with Lloyd Sanderson, too? He was a 47-year old, like Whittle, when he composed a fifth verse for the Major’s original hymn in 1948. It’s also interesting that Whittle’s life was ending in 1901 while Lloyd’s was beginning – Sanderson was born in May 1901 just two months after Whittle’s death in March of the same year. Is it just a curious coincidence that these 47-year olds carried Christ’s battle flag, through their verses in “There’s a Royal Banner”? As Whittle departed the earth, was Lloyd being prepared for a 5^th verse? Perhaps it’s just a piece of trivia, but the Spirit has done some startling things, agreed?  

Lloyd Sanderson’s verse includes a word ‘commander’ that would have been familiar to his musical ancestor, the Major. Did he wear a uniform, like Whittle, at one time? It really doesn’t matter if he did, or if you or I do. Daniel Whittle put away his uniform, but carried a flag still. Our commander may be in charge and be called the ‘Almighty’, but he still needs troops. Whittle and Sanderson did their part. They knew whose side wins. Do you? It’s not a hard question.       

The following website has a soundtrack of all four original verses, but not the 5^th verse composed by the secondary author: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/b/a/n/bannerof.htm  

Also, see the primary composer’s brief bio here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/h/i/whittle_dw.htm

 

See more information on the primary composer of the song discussed above in these sources: The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; and Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990; and 101 Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1982. A biography on the song’s secondary (verse 5) composer is in the book edited by Gene Finley (1980), Our Garden of Song (West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing Co.).