I Want Jesus To Walk With Me

As children we learnt the Easter narrative. Jesus, the good man, who bad men had cruelly and unjustly killed, came back to life. He appeared to his friends. Sadness became joy, despair became hope, failure became faith, fear became courage. And we had chocolate. It was great.

I had two problems with Easter.

Firstly I was taught that Jesus rose on the third day. I was told that Friday was the first day, Saturday the second, Sunday the third. That’s fine. I can count!

However… People said – and still say – that Jesus died and three days later he rose again. If he died at 3.00pm on Good Friday and returned to life early Easter Sunday morning that’s about thirty-six hours later… which isn’t three days. I still don’t get it!

The second problem? We’d always sing the hymn about gravy; I didn’t understand it! It starts ‘Low in the gravy lay’ and has the refrain ‘Up from the gravy, a rose’. Eventually I worked out that the line was actually, ‘Low in the grave he lay’…

I want Jesus to walk with me
I want Jesus to walk with me
All along my pilgrim journey
I want Jesus to walk with me

In my trials, Lord, walk with me
In my trials, Lord, walk with me
When the shades of life are falling
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me

In my sorrow, Lord walk with me
In my sorrows, Lord walk with me
When my heart is aching
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me

What I’ve learnt – and am still learning – is that Easter doesn’t just happen one a year. The truth in this old African-American spiritual is that the living Jesus can walk with me, whatever happens, through my troubles. at any time, in any situation.

Last week I read about Samuel and calling a stone ‘Ebenezer’, because ‘thus far the Lord has helped us’. Today we celebrate another stone, one that’s ‘rolled away’. My experience is that the living Jesus has walked with me and helped me thus far.

I still love Easter. I continue to learn about and experience joy, hope, faith and courage. I still want Jesus to walk with me. And chocolate is still great.