We Come to Your Feast

This is a hymn about Eucharist - which is particularly suited for Holy Thursday.

It was written by American Roman Catholic liturgical composer Jan Michael Joncas (b 1951), and  first published in 1994 by GIA Publications.   Sheet music is still available from them - see the link below.

With meter 13.13.13.14.6 with refrain, it is set to an unnamed tune, also by Joncas.  This has a 4/4 time signature, and in the key of G the first few notes are E GF GD D DE.

Downloads

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Setting for 2 or 3 equal or mixed voices with parts for flute and oboe.

Examples

Professional recording, singer with guitar, words on-screen

Choir with band

Traditional choir with piano accompaniment

Solo singer self accompanied on guitar - starts by explaining the Holy Thursday use

Lyrics

The lyrics are copyright so cannot be reproduced here. But they are currently available on this website. The song has three verses, with a six-line chorus after each one. A rough outline is:

1 We place upon Your table a gleaming cloth of white ...

Chorus:
We come to your feast, we come to your feast,
the young and the old, the frightened ,the bold,
the greatest and the least.
We come to your Feast, we come to your Feast,
with the fruit of our lands and the work of our hands
we come to your feast.

2 We place upon Your table a humble loaf of bread ...

3 We place upon your table a simple cup of wine ....

See more ....

• Hymns for Holy Thursday
• Hymns about the Eucharist

KEEP IN CASE ORIGINAL IS REMOVED, BUT DO NOT DISPLAY
1 We place upon Your table a gleaming cloth of white, The weaving of our stories, the fabric of our lives, The dreams of those before us, the ancient hopeful cries, The promise of our future, our needing and our nurture Lie here before our lives. Chorus: We come to Your feast, we come to your feast, the young and the old, the frightened, the bold, the greatest and the least. We come to your Feast, we come to your Feast, with the fruit of our lands and the work of our hands we come to your feast 2 We place upon Your table a humble loaf of bread, The gift of field and hillside, the grain by which we're fed, We come to taste the presence, of him whom we feed, To strengthen and connect us, to challenge and correct us, To love in word and deed. 3 We place upon your table a simple cup of wine, The fruit of human labour, the gift of sun and vine We come taste the presence of him we claim as Lord His dying and his living, his leading and his giving, his love in cup out poured.