“Let Us Break Bread Together” (ELW 471)
1 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.
2 Let us drink wine together on our knees;
let us drink wine together on our knees.
Refrain
3 Let us praise God together on our knees;
let us praise God together on our knees.
Refrain
Devotion
Together in community. Together in love and hope we gather to be fed and forgiven. Sharing a meal invites us to slow down and be with one another in God’s presence. This African American Spiritual “has its root in the West African Gullah/Geechee slave culture that developed in the coast areas of South-Eastern colonial America, including St. Helena Island, Beaufort, and Charleston South Carolina!” (https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-let-us-break-bread-together)
This familiar hymn, often sung during Holy Communion, speaks to the experience that deep in our core we often find Jesus especially meaningful when gathered together and sharing a meal. We have missed that this year and we look forward to a return to breaking bread together with one another.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, we give you thanks for Jesus. We give you thanks for the Holy Meal that you set before us. Amen.