The Church’s One Foundation (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 654)
1 The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is his new creation
By water and the Word.
From heav’n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.
2 Elect from ev’ry nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation:
One Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses
With ev’ry grace endued.
3 Though with a scornful wonder
This world sees her oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping;
Their cry goes up: “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the mourn of song.
4 Through toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
5 Yet she on earth has union
With God, the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O blessed heav’nly chorus!
Lord, save us by your grace,
That we, like saints before us,
May see you face to face.
Text: Samuel J. Stone; Music: Samuel S. Wesley; Public Domain
Devotion
This hymn was written in 1866 in response to schisms within the church. The third verse alludes to those schisms and heresies, many of which have been present in the church from its earliest days. But the hymn is not without hope. In the last verse we are reminded that we have unity in and through the Trinitarian God who is still with us; and we can trust in God’s saving grace.
Prayer
Lord God, as we sing this hymn may it be our prayer. As its words have comforted and inspired the faithful for generations, may it comfort and inspire us as well. Amen.