Just as it is difficult to begin a meeting, it is also difficult to conclude a meeting. If we sing a hymn that is not fitting at the conclusion of a meeting, the meeting will be interrupted. For example, in a Lord’s [584] table meeting, eating the bread and drinking the cup should be followed by worshipping the Father. At that time the saints should have the sense that the Father and the Son are one. Hence, someone should choose a hymn to conclude the section for remembering the Son and begin the section for worshipping the Father. For this we may use stanzas 1 and 6 of Hymns, #136: “Gazing on the Lord in glory, / While our hearts in worship bow, / There we read the wondrous story / Of the cross—its shame and woe... / Rise our hearts, and bless the Father, / Ceaseless song e’en here begun, / Endless praise and adoration / To the Father and the Son. ” After the singing, a brother or a sister should offer a prayer according to the feeling of this hymn and bring the meeting into the section of worshipping the Father.
We need to be watchful in spirit in the table meeting. We must bless the bread and the cup when the meeting reaches a climax and cannot go any higher. After we bless the bread and the cup and pass them around, there is a need to maintain the spirit with a hymn. We may use Hymns, #136, “Gazing on the Lord in glory, / While our hearts in worship bow, ” or Hymns, #226, “For the bread and for the wine, / For the pledge that seals Him mine. ” In contrast, Hymns, #226 bears a flavor of ritualistic formalities. We must touch the feeling of the meeting. In order to not allow the spirit to be weakened when we pass the bread and cup, we need to select a hymn that can maintain the spirit. At this point the selection of a hymn greatly depends on the prayers offered during the blessing of the bread and the cup. After singing Hymns, #158, someone may bless the bread and the cup, praying, “O Lord, thank You for first remembering us. You shed Your blood and died for us in this wilderness. The bread and the cup show us the story of Your giving up Your life and shedding Your blood for us. The scene of Your crucifixion is before our eyes. You wore a crown of thorns, and Your head was full of bruises. Lord, we thank You. ” Someone else may continue and pray, “Lord, the picture of Your coming down to the earth from heaven to shed Your blood and die for us is vividly before us. ” In such a case it would be good if someone selected Hymns, #95, “O Head once full of bruises, / So full of pain and scorn. ” The hymn selected should be according to the prayer that blessed the bread and the cup.
Guidelines for the Lord's Table Meeting and the Pursuit in Life Chapter 4 CWWL, 1952, vol. 1 (LSM)
I sang this hymn in my childhood in a small family meeting and I have thought of it often throughout my life. As I prepare to lead a ladies' Bible study group on Revelation and meditate on the scene of chapter 5, the words of this hymn have gained fresh meaning. It's pure worship and praise which will resonate in our hearts until we stand with the great multitude of the redeemed before the throne of God.
Three of us reading Watchman Nee collected Works vol. 23 are enjoying the Little Flock hymnal. This is a hymn I have never seen or heard. Hopefully we can learn and sing at the table meeting in remembrance of the Lord.
Miss Cenita Thompson was born in 1822 and died in 1909. This hymn first appeared in the 1881 Little Flock Hymn Book. Miss Thompson contributed poems to the periodical “A Voice to the Faithful” and these were published after her death in 1909 as “ Songs of Praise” She resided in Clapham, England for many years along with Miss E. J. Elwood who was also a writer of hymns.
From my earliest days I have sung this hymn in the morning meeting on sundays. It evokes lovely stirring memories of that wondrous time when we remembered our Lord. Now that I am in my late seventies this hymn and so many like it from the little flock hymn book stir my spirit and bring praise and adoration from my heart to my Saviour Jesus.
The conclusion of a meeting is more involved than the opening. Our outer man is in the process of aging and declining, but God is ever new and never becomes old. Therefore, in spiritual matters we can only go upward or have a brief pause, but we should never go downward. In a normal situation every Lord's table meeting must have a climax. When we sing a hymn in praise to the Lord, such as Hymns, #136, "Gazing on the Lord in glory,/ While our hearts in worship bow:' the spirit of the meeting will ascend and carry us to heaven. The atmosphere of this meeting is that we are gazing on and gathered around the glory of the Lord, offering continual praises to Him. Our meetings should be like the path of the righteous, which becomes brighter and brighter. They should be like the light of dawn, which rises continually brighter and brighter until the full day (Prov. 4:18). This path culminates at the fullness of the day, which signifies the end of a meeting. Hence, a meeting should end with praising, thanksgiving, and worshipping. The higher the meeting, the harder it is to stop. A good meeting is one that cannot be stopped. The normal situation of the Lord's table meeting is that we should all return home with praises.
Just as it is difficult to begin a meeting, it is also difficult to conclude a meeting. If we sing a hymn that is not fitting at the conclusion of a meeting, the meeting will be interrupted. For example, in a Lord's table meeting, eating the bread and drinking the cup should be followed by worshipping the Father. At that time the saints should have the sense that the Father and the Son are one. Hence, someone should choose a hymn to conclude the section for remembering the Son and begin the section for worshipping the Father. For this we may use stanzas 1 and 6 of Hymns, #136: "Gazing on the Lord in glory, / While our hearts in worship bow, / There we read the wondrous story I Of the cross-its shame and woe... / Rise our hearts, and bless the Father, / Ceaseless song e'en here begun, / Endless praise and adoration/ To the Father and the Son." After the singing, a brother or a sister should offer a prayer according to the feeling of this hymn and bring the meeting into the section of worshipping the Father.
Please remember that it is best for any prayers offered after a hymn to follow the feeling conveyed in the hymn. For example, Hymns, #136, "In Thy face once marred and smitten, / All His glory now we read. / Gazing on it we adore Thee, / Blessed, precious, holy Lord." When we reach a high point in the spirit in our singing, we need a prayer to sustain the spirit of the meeting. This means that the words, "Gazing on it we adore Thee, / Blessed, precious, holy Lord;... / Rise our hearts," have brought us to the high point. Then instead of praying doctrinally, we should focus on the last two verses and pray, "Yes, Lord, as we are gazing on Your face, our hearts rise up to praise You." Immediately this prayer is linked to the hymn. Then more prayers should continue to focus on the Lord's glory. The atmosphere of the meeting will then be such that everyone sees the Lord's glory in its utmost purity. Hence, the author of the hymn does not need to say anything except, "Gazing on it we adore Thee, / Blessed, precious, holy Lord." If we can continue praising, the spirit of the meeting will be sustained. After numerous prayers of praise, our hearts will be fully turned to the Lord.
ColumnsTwo columns need a wider screenThis hymn is shown in one column because its stanzas aren't numbered.
Theme
Style
Hymn numbers
Announce hymn
Gazing on the Lord in glory
h13623Gazing on the Lord in glory8c6a08c1fbd646e6f7966b41758f74da5dcf6ab681bfca2db35797a377baa398e6ae2a5532c979a3https://www.hymnal.net/enencomplete lyrics archive