Shall We Gather at the River

We sit around and sing songs. Occasionally, one will call another a pet name (i.e. "Trouble") and they'll all giggle. Some don't sing, they just listen. Others will comment on the song we just sang. I've got to tell you, in human terms the singing was awful. But the other night, it felt celestial as we sang "It Is Well With My Soul." My heart swelled, my eyes teared up as we sang, "My sin not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it not more. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!"
You've probably figured out, I'm not talking about church services. I'm talking about one Thursday night a month when several of us gather with several members of Skyline Manor, an assisted living home. Many of them can't hear very well. Some don't use a song book because they can't see it. But they're there when we show up.
The other night, we sang a song that I used to sing when I was a little boy. It was goofy to me then. I've even heard a joke about it. It goes something like this. A preacher was railing about drinking alcohol and he said we should take it all and throw it in the river. Right after that, the congregation stood and sang "Shall We Gather at the River."
There was something different about this song the other night. We sang it with a holy reverence. Listen to the words:

Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing from the throne of God.

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.

We had just finished singing those words when one sweet, gray-headed lady looked up with the look of an angel on her face. She said, "We'll get to see that river soon. Where is that verse that talks about that?" I turned to Revelation 22 and read them these words.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They wil not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

What an honor it was to read those words that night. I don't guess that passage will ever mean the same to me again. As I looked into the eyes of those wonderful aged people, their thoughts were on the One who sent His Son so they could have eternal life. The place where the river flows. "Thank you for reading that," she said. "Won't that be wonderful?" I could have sworn I heard a thousand angels shout, "Amen!" Have a great day. JW