Shall We Gather At The River (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 423)
1 Shall we gather at the river,
where bright angel feet have trod,
with its crystal tide forever
flowing by the throne of God?
Refrain:
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
the beautiful, the beautiful river;
gather with the saints at the river
that flows by the throne of God.
2 On the margin of the river,
washing up its silver spray,
we will walk and worship ever,
all the happy golden day. [Refrain]
3 Ere we reach the shining river,
lay we ev’ry burden down;
grace our spirits will deliver,
and provide a robe and crown. [Refrain]
4 Soon we’ll reach the shining river,
soon our pilgrimage will cease;
soon our happy hearts will quiver
with the melody of peace. [Refrain]
Text: Robert Lowry; Music: Robert Lowry; Public Domain
Devotion
“Come, See, Stay”
When Robert Lowry wrote this hymn in 1864 in New York, he was searching for a way to bring comfort and hope to his parishioners suffering from the Civil War, riots and violence in the streets, oppressive heat and humidity, and besides it all, a fever that swept through the city killing the vulnerable.
Exhausted after a day visiting the sick and dying, Lowry meditated on Revelation 22:1, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life…” The verse seemed to promise hope, in minutes, he wrote about laying down our burdens and singing a melody of peace. (from “a blog of hymn stories” by Pam McAllister).
Our world today seems in many ways as hopeless and contentious as Lowry’s. But through the eyes of faith, we see our incarnate God in Jesus, present and working. This is the ultimate epiphany of this season. So, we come, we see, we remain, and we practice for life beyond the river.
Prayer
Saving God, we thank you for all the saints who have crossed the beautiful river, especially those near and dear to us. In mercy, give us the same strength, hope and trust when it becomes our turn for our final epiphany. Amen.