Hymn: Shall We Gather At The River

[Mary1973]

We sang this today for the first time. I didn’t really care for it and it seemed a little too “protestant” for my taste. The composer is Robert Lowry.

Is anyone familiar with it? Is it theologically correct for a Catholic mass?

 

[AJV]

I remember it for two reasons
(1) it was sung at the many Protestant (cross between Penteocstal and plain fundamnetlaist) house meetings I atteneded in my youth.
(2) because of the joke:

A minister was completing a temperance sermon. After going on about the wickedness destructive effects of alcohol, with great emphasis he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and dump it into the river.”

With even greater emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and dump it into the river.”

Then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and dump it into the river.” Sermon complete, he sat down.

The organist then rose and announced “For our closing song, let us sing Hymn 221, ‘Shall We Gather at the River’.”

 

[pnewton]

I, too, am curious about this issue. I had this song on the back burner this last week, but passed on it. I have never used this for Mass, yet. Instead I went with “How Great Thou Art,” that other great Catholic classic.

 

[dessert]

HERE IS ANOTHER CUTE STORY ABOUT A RIVER;
There were two ministers and a priest out on a lake in a boat fishing. They were way out and quite aways fromshore but they did see the shore.

They suddenly hit a rock and then their boat’s bottom board cracked and they started to sink quickly, so they hung on for a bit but it was sinking fast.

So the Baptist minister said I don’t know about you but I’m going to walk across the water to the shore. So that is what he did, he walked acrosss the water and got to shore.

The Methodist minister got up and he walked across the water to shore. They both waved their arms to the priest to come on.
Well the priest got up and stepped out into the water and he drowned.

On shore the ministers couldn’t believe what they saw and the Baptist minister said to the Methodist minister, and punched him in the arm a little, didn’t you tell him where the rocks were?

D.

 

[tcraig]

We sang this today for the first time. I didn’t really care for it and it seemed a little too “protestant” for my taste. The composer is Robert Lowry.

Is anyone familiar with it? Is it theologically correct for a Catholic mass?

It’s a Baptist hymn - Robert Lowry was a Baptist preacher. He also wrote another pretty well known hymn, Nothing but the Blood.

I don’t know that there’s anything theologically objectional to the hymn Shall We Gather at the River (and as a former protestant I do love the old protestant hymns). But I don’t think they really “fit” with a Catholic mass. Protestant worship is different, and the music evolved to complement it.

We’ve got enough good stuff of our own without having to steal from our separated brethren.

 

[pnewton]

We’ve got enough good stuff of our own without having to steal from our separated brethren.

What if we return the song when we are done? Then it’s not stealing. It’s borrowing.

What other good Catholic song is appropriate for Matthew 24? “Soon and Very Soon?”

 

[puzzleannie]

another favorite I hear a lot down here, is Precious Lord, one of the favorites of my Methodist grandmother, and I do love it.

 

[Mary1973]

I don’t know that there’s anything theologically objectional to the hymn Shall We Gather at the River (and as a former protestant I do love the old protestant hymns). But I don’t think they really “fit” with a Catholic mass. Protestant worship is different, and the music evolved to complement it.

Maybe that was it. The words just didn’t seem right. Why are we gathering at the river? And what river? What does the river have to do with going to Heaven?

 

[puzzleannie]

Maybe that was it. The words just didn’t seem right. Why are we gathering at the river? And what river? What does the river have to do with going to Heaven?

I think it comes from an image in one of the psalms, something about gathering on the beautiful shore. (grammaw also liked that sone).

many of these hymns have a biblical base like “Bringing in the Sheaves” which if I am not mistaken, is from a verse we hear in Advent.

 

[pyropam]

“Shall We Gather At The River” is a really beautiful song.
The “RIVER” refers to the flowing grace of God. We should gather in his grace.

What a touching song!

**Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(Revelation 22:1-2 NASB) **

 

[SyCarl]

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(Revelation 22:1-2 NASB)