In Bread We Bring You Lord

This is hymn about the Eucharist.  It is often used as an offertory hymn, but it fits a variety of themes (Eucharist, unity, reconciliation). 

It was written by English Catholic priest Kevin Nichols (1929-2006), and first published in 1976 in Kevin Mayhew's 20th Century Folk Hymnal, Volume 3.

The unnamed tune by Nichols has a 4/4 time signature.   In the key of F the first few notes are C F G A AA A.




Downloads

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Examples


Solo by a professional singer in a church service:



Singer with guitar, more upbeat than usual versions:


Small group with backing track:


Singer with guitar, words and chords on-screen:


An instrumental version, on keyboard:



Congregation, lead by a small group:


Lyrics

The full lyrics are copyright, so cannot be reproduced here.  But they are available on this website.  A brief outline is given below. 

There are two verses, and each has eight lines, with two phrases in each line. Each verse progresses thematically from what the singer/congregation is bringing to worshipping God and acknowledging Eucharist as source and summit.


In bread we bring you Lord, our body's labour
In wine we offer you ...
... our Lord and King.

The bread we offer you is blessed and broken,
And it becomes for us ...
...take and redeem.

See more ...

KEEP IN CASE ORIGINAL IS REMOVED, BUT DO NOT DISPLAY
In bread we bring you Lord, our bodies’ labour
In wine we offer you our spirits’ grief
We do not ask you Lord, who is my neighbour
But stand united now, one in belief.
Oh we have gladly heard, your Word, your holy Word,
and now in answer, Lord, our gifts we bring.
Our selfish hearts make true, our failing faith renew,
our lives belong to you, our Lord and King.

The bread we offer you is blessed and broken,
and it becomes for us our spirits’ food.
Over the cup we bring your Word is spoken,
make it your gift to us, you healing blood.
Take all that daily toil plants in our heart’s poor soil,
take all we start and spoil, each hopeful dream;
the chances we have missed the graces we resist
Lord in your Eucharist, take and redeem.

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