Lord Jesu Christ, by Whom alone

Lord Jesu Christ, by Whom alone. Thomas George Crippen* (1841-1929).  In the Congregational Church Hymnal (1887) this was the single hymn in the section ‘Election of Deacons’ part 4 of ‘The Church of Christ’. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, ‘In congregational (independent) churches the diaconate is usually an elective body of lay officers in a local congregation responsible for financial and administrative affairs and the distribution of the elements at Communion. Such deacons are, in effect, the ruling elders of the churches.’  Crippen’s hymn sums up the qualities needed for a Deacon with some skill, although the use of quotations in the text (one from 1 Corinthians 6: 19 – ‘your...