LET US BREAK
BREAD TOGETHER
Let us break
bread together on our knees;
let us break
bread together on our knees.
Refrain
When I fall on
my knees,
with my face
to the rising sun,
O Lord, have
mercy on me.
Let us drink
wine together on our knees;
let us drink
wine together on our knees. (Refrain)
Let us praise
God together on our knees;
let us praise
God together on our knees. (Refrain)
Text: African
American spiritual
When I think
about meaningful hymns, my thoughts rush back to childhood Sundays
and my Mom playing KFRM radio on a great big console
TV/radio/stereo before and after church. We heard a wide mix of
artists, from Tennessee Ernie Ford to Mahalia Jackson to Etta
James. We listened to that music until Sunday dinner was served.
We had a house full of boys interested in sports, and it was often
a struggle to get the music turned off for the afternoon football
or basketball game. Mercifully, as far as the boys were concerned,
the program ended around 1 p.m.
I remember most
the tunes we had sung at church, the ones that Mom, as we were
getting dinner ready, was moved to sing out loud along with the
radio. Almost always those were the hymns that everyone at church
knew best and sang loudest. Those sounds stirred my soul even
though I wasn’t very musical. I still feel that way when we sing
old spirituals, or when we have string and brass musicians in the
choir loft, especially on Easter Sunday.
The most
meaningful part of worship for me is communion. The hymn that
everyone seems to know best and sing with the most soul and
conviction is “Let Us Break Bread Together.” Most in the
congregation have their eyes up and heads back, with mouths
punctuating every word. Some folks, though, close their eyes,
feeling every note deeply. You can almost see their hearts are
wide open, soaking in the soulful refrain. “When I fall on my
knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.”
And it still
gives me goose bumps.
Lord, help us
remember that we celebrate the gift of your son every time we sing
to you.
Bruce Brittain
