On Our Knees
Originally scheduled for August 21
Back in the days when such things as church choirs and hymns,
some were used for particular purposes in worship. One such purpose
was a hymn to introduce communion. Perhaps the most commonly used
hymn was Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees. For those who are
too young to have heard it, it was a Negro spiritual with these
words:
Let us break bread together on our knees.
Let us break
bread together on our knees.
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.
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord have mercy on me.
The song dates at least from the
17th century. At that time, slaves were very often required to
attend a worship service in the Episcopal Church. For the
convenience of their white masters, they attended a service that was
early in the morning — at sunrise — so their masters could sleep in.
Episcopal churches in that time were very often oriented on an
east-west axis. Thus, when someone knelt at the communion rail they
were facing East, towards the sunrise. For those attuned to certain
theories of Revelation, it also meant they were looking in the
general direction from which Christ would return.
The song
itself gives us several reminders of the nature of communion and how
we should partake of it.
Our attitude should be one of being on our knees. It implies an
attitude of humility. It is recognition that He is God and we are
not; we owe our salvation to him, He is not indebted to us.
Mentally, we are to have our face to the sun — that is, looking at
the Light of the World. We seek his enlightenment, his comfort and
his guidance. We do so in the process of acknowledging our debt to
him.
We call him “Lord.” Never forget that if you are a Christian you are
promised to deal with Jesus Christ as your Lord as well as your
Savior. You owe him your obedience. Examine yourself at this time
and see if there is something lacking there.
Finally, the chorus ends with “Lord have mercy on me.” In communion
we explicitly ask our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins based not
upon our virtues but upon his loving grace. We ask for what he
freely gives: mercy.
