Break Thou the Bread of Life

1. Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
As once you broke the loaves beside the sea.
Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord;
My spirit waits for you, O living Word.

2. Bless your own word of truth, dear Lord, to me,
As when you blessed the bread by Galilee.
Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall;
And I shall find my peace, my All in all!

3 You are the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
Your holy word the truth that rescues me.
Give me to eat and live with you above;
Teach me to love your truth, for you are love.

4 O send your Spirit now, dear Lord, to me,
That he may touch my eyes and make me see.
Show me the truth made plain within your Word,
For in your book revealed I see you, Lord.


A "study hymn" written in 1877 by Mary Lathbury, called the "Poet Laureate of Chautauqua".  The Chautauqua Institution, originally the Chautauqua Lake Sunday School Assembly, was founded in 1874 by two Methodists as an educational experiment in out-of-school, vacation learning. The Assembly's ecumenical spirit and programming was successful and broadened almost immediately beyond courses for Sunday school teachers to include academic subjects, music, art, and physical education.