Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

He was wounded for our transgressions

and bruised for our iniquities.

Upon him was the chastisement

that makes us whole,

and with his stripes we are healed.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd

and gather the lambs in his arms.

—based on Isaiah 40:11; 53:4-5

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.

—based on Numbers 6:24-26, NIV

Jesus Christ,

glorified and risen Lord,

though you could have stayed on the mountain,

you chose to descend, knowing the agony that lay ahead to bring our salvation.

We thank you for your redemption, that can be seen even now in

creation . . .

the nations of the world . . .

world leaders . . .

our nation . . .

our community . . .

the church universal . . .

our church . . .

the life of . . .

our own lives . . .

Yet knowing that many in this world

are not willing to acknowledge you as God and Savior,

or are unable to pray,

we offer these prayers on their behalf:

for creation and its care . . .

for the nations of the world . . .

for our nation and its leaders . . .

for our community and those who govern . . .

for the church universal, its mission, and those who minister . . .

for this local congregation and its ministry . . .

for persons with particular needs . . .

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,

our glorified and risen Lord. Amen.

“I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” is a traditional African-American spiritual. It should be sung simply and with conviction. Spirituals are the roots of gospel music. They came out of the mixture of European and African acculturation. Traditionally, spirituals developed in an oral tradition without any one known composer. They were unaccompanied folk songs with synthesized African melodic and rhythmic practices, not disturbed by instrumentation. Spirituals became artistic forms during the era of Reconstruction and were made famous by the pioneer performances of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. At first, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were unable to appreciate the worth or value of these songs and were reluctant to sing them because they questioned the validity of slave songs. They asked such questions as: How can we or should we be singing songs to the God of our oppressors? Have we not been freed by God? Fortunately for all of us, the spirituals were not abandoned. They are part of a rich heritage.

 

This spiritual can be accompanied by organ and piano or sung a cappella with simple ad-lib drumming on congas or bass drum.

(from Reformed Worship, Issue 54)

The haunting tune echoes the melancholy content of the text—you can even hear a sob in the third phrase on the descent from the high C. Try a crescendo through the tied notes, and be sure when singing the B natural to make it high and plaintive. Though it can go much slower, on most occasions keep the tempo moderate, feeling the pulse in two. Ideally, sing unaccompanied except for humming by a choir or congregation; have the melody sung by soloist or perhaps by all the women. If more accompaniment is needed, go for a dark touch on the keyboard, whether piano or organ, to suit the gravity of this piece. 

African American spirituals developed among unnamed slaves who sang while they worked. It is very possible that the strong pulse and regular rhythm of “I want Jesus to Walk with Me” helped both the spirit and the physical effort required in performing repetitive physical tasks.