Black History Month: Were You There?

In any congregation, there can be some "have-tos," such as...

• Singing "Silent Night" in candlelight on Christmas Eve
• Easter brunch after the Sunrise Service
• A Christmas program lead by the children

In my congregation, one of those "have-tos" is singing "Were You There" on Good Friday.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh - - -
sometimes it causes me to
tremble...
tremble...
tremble...
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh - - -
sometimes it causes me to
tremble...
tremble...
tremble...
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh - - -
sometimes it causes me to
tremble...
tremble...
tremble...
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?

Were you there when He rose rose up from the tomb?
Were you there when He rose rose up from the tomb?
Oh - - -
sometimes it causes me to
tremble...
tremble...
tremble...
Were you there when He rose rose up from the tomb?

The final stanza has been rendered in different ways, including this in Lutheran Service Book (hymn 456).

Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb?
Oh - - -
sometimes it causes me to
tremble...
tremble...
tremble...
Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb?

Another rendering is...

Did you know He is risen from the dead?
Oh - - -
Sometimes I feel like shoutin'
Glory!
Glory!
Glory!
Did you know He is risen from the dead?

One use of this spiritual might be to intersperse verses into the Passion reading on Good Friday, in a similar way that the Passion chorales are used.

Some verses might include traditional verses mixed with newly written stanza (and these definitely need tweaking, but you get the idea):

Before the reading of the Passion
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

After John 18:11
Were you there in Gethsemane that night?

After John 18:24
Were you there when the high priest questioned Him?

After John 19:2
Were you there when they crowned Him with the thorns?

After John 19:15
Did you shout, "Crucify Him!" with the throng?

After John 19:27
Were you there when John took His mother home?

After John 19:37
Were you there when they pierced Him in His side?

After John 19:42
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?