“Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land,” ELW 333
Devotion
Refrain
Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a weary land, a weary land;
my Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a shelter in a time of storm.
No one can do like Jesus,
not a mumbling word he said;
he went walking down to Lazarus' grave,
and he raised him from the dead. Refrain
When Jesus was on earth,
the flesh was very weak;
he took a towel and girded himself
and he washed his disciples' feet. Refrain
Yonder comes my Savior,
him whom I love so well;
he has the palm of victory
and the keys of death and hell. Refrain
This African American spiritual tells the Story well and powerfully. The refrain seems to be a variation of the spiritual "My God is a Rock." The stanzas in "Jesus is a Rock" are different from "My God is a Rock," focusing on the work of Christ. In verse one Christ raises Lazarus from the dead. Verse two is the Maundy Thursday story of washing the disciples feet. The third verse tells the Easter story of Christ's victory over death. African American spirituals were grounded in a spirit of hope—a spirit of moving from oppression to freedom. I pray that we each might experience that same spirit as we hear and enter the Story once again.
Prayer
Dear God, help us to embrace your salvation and to experience the true freedom that only you can provide. Amen.