Since I attend a Baptist church, we do not observe All Saints’ Sunday, but we do practice a Service of Remembrance during worship that remembers those of the fellowship (saints), who have passed during the previous year. Each name is read, and a bell is tolled in their memory. As part of the service, we sang the familiar hymn "Shall We Gather at the River?" Shall we gather at the river, Where bright angel feet have trod; With its crystal tide forever Flowing by 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. This classic gospel hymn was written in July 1864 by American Baptist minister and composer Robert Lowry (1826–1899). During an oppressive summer and a local epidemic/fever outbreak in Brooklyn, New York, Lowry wrote both the words and music. Lowry reflected on the many hymns of the era tha...
Comments from a Christ-follower on things that matter to him