The African American Lectionary

Worship Resources

MUSIC & WORSHIP RESOURCES

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Michelle Riley Jones, Lectionary Team Liturgist and Lesley F. Shannon, Guest Lectionary Liturgist, Associate Pastor, St. Paul Community Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY

Worship Unit Preface

“My grandfather’s grand-mother was seized by an evil Dutch trader two centuries ago; and coming to the valleys of the Hudson and Housatonic, black, little, and lithe, she shivered and shrank in the harsh north winds, looked longingly at the hills, and often crooned a heathen melody to the child between her knees, thus:

‘Do bana coba, gene me, gene me!
Do bana coba, gene me, gene me!
Ben d’ nuli, nuli, nuli, nuli, ben d’ le.’

The child sang it to his children and they to their children’s children, and so two hundred years it has travelled down to us and we sing it to our children, knowing as little as our fathers what its words may mean, but knowing well the meaning of its music.

This was primitive African music; it may be seen in larger form in the strange chant which heralds ‘The Coming of John:’

"You may bury me in the East,
You may bury me in the West,
But I’ll hear the trumpet sound in that morning,
the voice of exile.”

--W. E. B. Du Bois

Worship Planning Notes

The MAAFA commemorates the great tribulation of free Africans brought to the Americas and enslaved. Specifically, the MAAFA helps black people to remember a horrific part of their history and learn from that history. This understanding of our entire story in this country informs how we view and act in the country. Like the Jews who encountered a holocaust at the hands of Germans, Africans endured a far longer and more heinous holocaust at the hands of slavers and white Americans in America.

This year, the African American lectionary’s MAAFA worship unit features the “sorrow songs,” those songs that begin with expressions of sadness and despair, and that follow a process of transformation and end with hope and joy.

As the worship service begins, have the choir enter singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” The drama team (dressed in black) should also enter down the aisles in pairs, holding cloths of red, black, green, and yellow above their heads, waving as to mimic the waves of an ocean, representing the journey of horror across the ocean from Africa to the Americas. The Liturgical Dance ministry (dressed in black) should accompany them, representing the millions of Africans stolen and herded onto slave ships against their will. If you have a balcony, position two singers in different locations—the first singing “Swing low,” and the second answering “Sweet chariot.” The choir then joins in “coming for to carry me home” and continues with the remainder of the verse. The congregation then joins in singing the first verse again, then proceeds to the remaining verses.

Include “MAAFA Moments” throughout the service—readings, poetry, audio-visual material, dance, musical, or mini dramatic presentations—that speak to the full impact of MAAFA. See the accompanying video, which can be used for one of these moments, or as a transition in the service.

As the service is ending, have your choir and congregation sings songs on how God has brought us through. Use your liturgical dancers, again dressed in black, but this time with sashes in red, green, or yellow, to celebrate God’s mighty acts for us.

1. Congregational Reading, Invocation, or Meditation for Gathering
Meditation for Gathering

Aftershocks

We live with the aftershocks of fear
Our hearts and strength failing
Our tears and rivers through which we run
To you O God

We find our desires
Rubbed against the unknown
Of terror on every side—
And as a maiden watches for her mistress—
We focus our eyes, steadfast on you

Come to our aid, and help us
Where we are fractured and frayed, repair us
When we are weary, uphold us

In the tidal waves of memory
And dust and damage
By the sea of grace of which we
Walk on water to you
Be the last word of hope
And the first sound of joy

While we live with these aftershocks
Be our firm foundation

Amen.

2. Hymns and Congregational Songs
(a) Swing Low. Negro Spiritual

(b) God Leads Us Along. Text and Tune, (God Leads Us) by G. A. Young

(c) The Uncloudy Day. Text and Tune, (Uncloudy Day) by J. K. Alwood

(d) Jesus, I Come. By W. T. Sleeper. Tune by George C. Stebbins

3. Spirituals or Traditional Songs
(a) Hush, Hush Somebody’s Callin’ My Name. Traditional. Tune, (Somebody’s Callin’)

(b) I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray. Negro Spiritual

(c) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Negro Spiritual. This is a contemporary rendition of this familiar Spiritual.

(d) Soon A Will Be Done. Traditional Spiritual. Arr. By Rosephanye Powell

4. Gospel Songs for Choirs, Ensembles, or Praise Teams
(a) Out of the Depths. By Thelma Gross

(b) Does Jesus Care? Traditional

(d) I Know Who Holds Tomorrow. By Ira F. Stamphill

5. Liturgical Dance Music or Mime Music
(a) You Heard My Cry. By Twinkie Clark-Terrell

(b) Can I Lay In Your Arms? By Donald Lawrence

6. Anthems
(a) I Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey. Negro Spiritual. Arr. By William Barks-Dale

(b) Many Are the Afflictions. By Roger Holland. For SATB choir

(c) Nobody Knows the Trouble I See. Negro Spiritual. Arr. By Fernando Allen

(d) Some Day. By Charles Tindley. Arr. By Nathan Carter

7. Modern Songs
(a) I’ll Never Turn Back No More. Negro Spiritual. This is a contemporary version of this Spiritual.

(b) Save Me. By Warren Campbell, Erica Campbell, and Trecina Campbell

(c) Remember. By Joan Joseph

8. MAAFA Moments. These can be rendered as short spoken word, drama, dance, video, or musical interludes in the service.
(a) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Negro Spiritual.

(b) Harambe. By Rosephanye Powell. This selection is for spoken word, vocals, and percussion.

(c) The Journey, Part III: Death and Freedom. By Rosephanye Powell. This is a great selection for your drama team!

(d) I’ll Never Turn Back No More. Negro Spiritual. This is a contemporary version of this Spiritual.

(e) Africana. By Gary Hines. This selection is for spoken word.

9. Song or Instrumental for the Offertory Period
(a) God Is Good. By Regina Belle

(b) Run, Mary Run. Negro Spiritual

(c) Well, Well, Well. Traditional

(d) The Lord Is My Shepherd. African American Spiritual

10. Song or Instrumental for the Period of Prayer
(a) Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler. Negro Spiritual. By Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Piano solo

(b) An’ I Cry. Negro Spiritual

(c) Come Here Jesus, If You Please. Negro Spiritual

(d) Does Jesus Care? By Frank E. Graeff. Tune, (My Savior Cares) by J. Lincoln Hall

11. Sermonic Selection
(a) De Blin’ Man Stood on de Road an’ Cried. Arr. By Harry T. Burleigh

(b) Lord, How Come Me Here. Negro Spiritual

(c) Don’t Forget to Remember. By Donald Lawrence

(d) City Called Heaven. Negro Spiritual

(f) I’ll Never Turn Back No More. Negro Spiritual

12. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) How I Got Over. Spiritual

(b) Bridge Over Troubled Water. By Simon and Garfunkel

13. Benediction Song or Instrumental
(a) He Has Done Great Things for Me. By Jesse Dixon

(b) No More Auction Block for Me. Negro Spiritual. Arr. By Lawrence Brown

(c) Songs That Brought Us Over Medley. By Albert E. Brumley, Albert A. Goodson, Harrison Johnson, and Eddie Johnson

(d) You Brought the Sunshine. By Twinkie Clark-Terrell

(f) He Brought Me from A Mighty Long Way. By Walter Hawkins

(g) Peace and Favor Rest on Us. By Kurt Carr

14. Audio Visual Suggestions
(a) Use black, red, green, and yellow colors for the altar, choir robes, banners, and flags. Accent colors can be added for the drama and liturgical dance ministers. Ushers and deacons can also be coordinated, dressed in black, with accents of red, green, and yellow.

(b) Play the accompanying video, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” as part of a “MAAFA Moment,” or as a lead in to the period of prayer.

(c) King of Sorrow. By Praylu Production. This video is based on the song “King of Sorrow” as recorded by Sade, and includes music by Tupac and Bob Marley.

Cites and Additional Information for Music and Material Listed

Worship Unit Preface:
The video that accompanies this worship unit was developed by Michelle Riley Jones and features the song “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” as arranged by John Stoddart.
Location:

Stoddart, John. Wings to Walk This Road. New York, NY: Warner Alliance, 2003.

(a) Quote by W. E. B. Du Bois online at http://www1.bartleby.com/114/14.html accessed 23 July 2009
Location:

Du Bois, W. E. Burghardt. The Souls of Black Folks: Essays and Sketches. Chicago, IL: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1903. p. 180

1. Congregational Reading, Invocation, or Meditation for Gathering
Meditation for Gathering
Aftershocks. By Valerie Bridgeman Davis
Location:

The Africana Worship Book: Year B. (Resources for Special Days.) Davis, Valerie Bridgeman and Safiyah Fosua, assoc. eds. Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources, 2007. p. 175. Used with permission.

2. Hymns and Congregational Songs
(a)Swing Low. Negro Spiritual
Location:

African American Heritage Hymnal. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, 2001. #539

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Bicentennial Hymnal. Nashville, TN: A.M.E. Zion Publishing House, 1996. #586

Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, 1987. #147

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. Nashville, TN: Triad Publications, 2005. #498

Church of God in Christ. Yes, Lord! Church of God in Christ Hymnal. Memphis, TN: Church of God in Christ Pub. Board in association with the Benson Co., 1982. #184

(b) God Leads Us Along. Text and Tune, (God Leads Us) by G. A. Young
Location:

African American Heritage Hymnal. #136

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. #261

Yes, Lord! Church of God in Christ Hymnal. #386

African American Heritage Hymnal. #589

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Bicentennial Hymnal. #585

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. #477

Yes, Lord! Church of God in Christ Hymnal. #172

(d) Jesus, I Come. By W. T. Sleeper. Tune by George C. Stebbins
Location:

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. #174

The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1985. #292

Yes, Lord! Church of God in Christ Hymnal. #314

3. Spirituals or Traditional Songs
(a)Hush, Hush Somebody’s Callin’ My Name. Traditional. Tune, (Somebody’s Callin’)
Location:

African American Heritage Hymnal. #556

Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal. #262

(b) I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray. Negro Spiritual
Location:

African American Heritage Hymnal. #487

Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal. #210

Wilson, Brian Courtney. Music World Kids Presents Baby Jamz Nursery Rhymes, Vol. 2. Houston, TX: World Music Productions, 2008.

(d) Soon A Will Be Done. Traditional Spiritual. Arr. By Rosephanye Powell
Location:

Powell, Rosephanye. Motherless Child. Auburn, AL: Inkhorn Productions, 2009.

4. Gospel Songs for Choirs, Ensembles, or Praise Teams
(a)Out of the Depths. By Thelma Gross
Location:

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. #207

(b) Does Jesus Care? Traditional
Location:

The Soul Stirrers. 101 Great Black Gospel Hits, Vol. 3. The Netherlands: Smith & Co., 2009.

Franklin, Aretha. Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings. Claremont, CA: Rhino Records, 1999.

(d) I Know Who Holds Tomorrow. By Ira F. Stamphill
Location:

African American Heritage Hymnal. #415

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Bicentennial Hymnal. #48

Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal. #187

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. #281

Yes, Lord! Church of God in Christ Hymnal. #124

5. Liturgical Dance Music
(a) You Heard My Cry. By Twinkie Clark-Terrell
Location:

The Clark Sisters. The Clark Sisters: Live—One Last Time. New York, NY: EMI Gospel, 2007.

(b) Can I Lay in Your Arms? By Donald Lawrence
Location:

Go Get Your Life Back. New York, NY: EMI Gospel, 2002.

6. Anthems
(a) I Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey. Negro Spiritual. Arr. By William Barks-Dale
Location:

GIA Publications, Inc.
7404 South Mason Avenue
Chicago, IL 60638
Phone: 1-800-GIA-1358

Online location: www.giamusic.com
Product # G-6318

(b) Many Are the Afflictions. By Roger Holland. For SATB choir
Location:

GIA Publications, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-GIA-1358
Online location: www.giamusic.com
Product # G-7308

GIA Publications, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-GIA-1358
Online location: www.giamusic.com
Product # G-5830

(d) Some Day. By Charles Tindley. Arr. By Nathan Carter
Location:

GIA Publications, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-GIA-1358
Online location: www.giamusic.com
Product # G-6023

7. Modern Songs
(a) I’ll Never Turn Back No More. Negro Spiritual. This is a contemporary version of this Spiritual.
Location:

Take 6. Feels Good. Nashville, TN: Take 6 Records, 2006.

(b) Save Me. By Warren Campbell, Erica Campbell, and Trecina Campbell
Location:

Mary Mary. Mary Mary. New York, NY: Sony BMG, 2005.

The Cross Movement. Human Emergency. Newport Beach, CA: Cross Movement Records/Seventh Street Records, 2000.

8. MAAFA Moments. These can be rendered as short spoken word, drama, dance, video, or musical interludes in the service.

(a) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Negro Spiritual. See the accompanying short video.
Location:

Stoddart, John. Wings to Walk This Road. New York, NY: Warner Alliance, 2003.

(b) Harambe. By Rosephanye Powell. This selection is for spoken word, vocals, and percussion.
Location:

Motherless Child. Auburn, AL: Inkhorn Productions, 2009.

(c) The Journey, Part III: Death and Freedom. By Rosephanye Powell. This is a great selection for your drama team!
Location:

Motherless Child. Auburn, AL: Inkhorn Productions, 2009.

(d) I’ll Never Turn Back No More. Negro Spiritual. This is a contemporary version of this Spiritual.
Location:

Take 6. Feels Good. Nashville, TN: Take 6 Records, 2006.

(e) Africana. By Gary Hines. This selection is for spoken word.
Location:

Sounds of Blackness. A Time for Healing. Santa Monica, CA: Interscope Geffen (A & M), 1997.

9. Song or Instrumental for the Offertory Period
(a) God Is Good. By Regina Belle
Location:

God Is Good. Orlando, FL: Pendulum Records, 2008.

(b) Run, Mary Run. Negro Spiritual
Location:

The Spirituals Project Choir. They Slice the Air. Denver, CO: The Spirituals Project, 2007.

Various Artists/Swan Silvertones. Gospel the Old Time Way. New York, NY: Orchard, 2004.

(d) The Lord Is My Shepherd.
Location:.

Kings of Harmony. O Gospel, Where Art Thou? Nashville, TN: Morada, 2002.

10. Song or Instrumental for Period of Prayer
(a) Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler. Negro Spiritual. By Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Piano solo
Location:

Walker, Frances. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor—24 Negro Spirituals. Toronto, CN: Marquis Classics, 2006.

(b) An’ I Cry. Negro Spiritual
Location:

The Fisk Jubilee Singers. Sacred Journey. Nashville, TN: Sunrise Music Group & Curb Records, 2007.

Hogan, Moses & The Moses Hogan Singers. Negro Spirituals. New York, NY: EMI, 2006.

(d) Does Jesus Care? By Frank E. Graeff. Tune, (My Savior Cares) by J. Lincoln Hall
Location:

African American Heritage Hymnal. #428

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. #253

The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. #181

Yes, Lord! Church of God in Christ Hymnal. #393

11. Sermonic Selection
(a) De Blin’ Man Stood on de Road an’ Cried. Arr. By Harry T. Burleigh
Location:

The Spirituals Project Choir. They Slice the Air. Denver, CO: The Spirituals Project, 2007.

(b) Lord, How Come Me Here. Negro Spiritual
Location:

The Spirituals Project Choir. They Slice The Air. Denver, CO: The Spirituals Project, 2007.

I Speak Life. New York, NY: Zomba Recording, 2004.

(d) City Called Heaven. Negro Spiritual
Location:

The Spirituals Project. They Slice the Air. Denver, CO: The Spirituals Project, 2007.

(e) I’ll Never Turn Back No More. Negro Spiritual
Location:

The Fisk Jubilee Singers. Gospel Music Hall of Fame Series—The Fisk Jubilee Singers. Ann Arbor, MI: Songs of Faith, 2009.

12. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) How I Got Over. Spiritual
Location:

Various Artists/Evans, Clay & The Fellowship Choir. Celebration. Sydney, Australia: HHO Licensing, 1998/2009.

(b) Bridge Over Troubled Water. By Simon and Garfunkel
Location:

McKnight, Brian and Josh Groban. Hit Man David Foster and Friends. New York, NY: Reprise Records, 2008.

13. Benediction Song or Instrumental
(a) He Has Done Great Things for Me. By Jesse Dixon
Location:

African American Heritage Hymnal. #507

Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal. #289

The New National Baptist Hymnal 21st Century Edition. #4

(b) No More Auction Block for Me. Negro Spiritual. Arr. By Lawrence Brown
Location:

Robeson, Paul. The Power and The Glory. New York, NY: Columbia, 1991.

(c) Songs That Brought Us Over Medley. By Albert E. Brumley, Albert A. Goodson, Harrison Johnson, and Eddie Johnson
Location:

Carr, Kurt and the Kurt Carr Singers. No One Else. Inglewood, CA: Gospocentric, 1997.

(d) You Brought the Sunshine. By Twinkie Clark-Terrell
Location:

The Clark Sisters. The Clark Sisters: Live—One Last Time. New York, NY: EMI Gospel, 2007.

(e) He Brought Me from A Mighty Long Way. By Walter Hawkins
Location:

Hawkins, Tramaine. Gospel Legacy. Roswell, GA: Intersound, 2008.

(f) Peace and Favor Rest on Us. By Kurt Carr
Location:

Carr, Kurt & The Kurt Carr Singers. Just the Beginning. New York, NY: Zomba, 2008.