The Church the vessel is to Christ

The Church the vessel is to Christ

Him to contain and Him express

Just as the human body doth

Man’s life show forth

his life possess.

As was the temple to the ark

Receptacle and resting-place;

So Christ the Church’s content is

And in the Church

Christ’s dwelling-place.

As Christ is God’s true mystery

God to explain and God express;

So is the Church Christ’s mystery

Christ to explain and manifest.

The members of the Church of Christ

Are all primarily of clay;

They need to be transformed and made

Transparent

precious day by day.

By transformation they are built

A vessel they to Christ afford;

His all-inclusiveness they hold;

Transparent

they express the Lord.

Thru all the transformation work

The triune God performs in them

The Church a corporate vessel is

And like the new Jerusalem.

How precious she in each respect

Transparent too in every phase;

Christ with God’s fulness she contains

Christ with God’s glory she displays.

With Christ as life

with God as light

And with the Spirit’s living flow

The triune God she manifests

For all the universe to know.