Hymn: “Shall We Gather at the River” – Words & Music by Robert Lowry (1826-1899)
Tune: HANSON PLACE
It’s Sunday morning again, so it seems apropos to use a
hymnline like this one. Although it is in the middle of a gospel song often
used in conjunction with river baptisms, it is a text about our gathering at
the heavenly river – the one that flows right by the throne of God – where the
saints gather to join in the final, eternal worship of him who sits on that
throne.
One of my favorite places to visit in the state of Texas is
San Antonio. We welcomed the 21st Century in there on December 31,
1999... the night the technological system was to implode world was supposed to
end. We’ve been there several times since we moved back to this part of the
world. We enjoy the food, the history and the culture, but we LOVE the River
Walk, especially when the weather is nice and it’s not all that crowded. It is
made for peaceful, hand-holding strolls. When we can afford it, we stay in one
of the hotels with balconies overlooking the canal; that way, we can step out
the door and be on our happy way.
Walking is a good physical activity, but there’s something
cathartic about placing one foot in front of the other with a rhythmic pattern
that seems to free the heart and soul. For some reason, it’s even better when
done along water… the beach, the lakeside, the mountain stream.
On the other side of eternity, we will have the privilege of
being pedestrian in our worship… not because worship will be uninteresting
or dull, but because we will accept our role as a holy pedestrian; even as we
walk – in fact, in everything we do - our attention will be centered on the One
with whom we will spend the rest of our days. For those of us whose main ‘button’
is worship, this is what we look most forward to.
Today can be a practice session for the nothing-but-worship
life which we anticipate.
Hear an an unaccompanied
singing of this hymn
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