Shall We Gather at the RiverMuskoka Lakes Ministry of Knox, Port Carling & Zion, Torrance
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Message Shall We Gather at the River?
Reverend Glynis Faith
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Announcements
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Community prayer on Monday evenings via Zoom beginning at 7 p.m. if you would like to take part, please call or email me and you will be send the link.
Lectio Divina on Thursday evenings via Zoom, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
Knox Session budget meeting, Saturday via Zoom, 9 a.m.
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Call to Worship
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Together, we worship God, the Father.
Together, we worship Jesus, the Son.
Together, we worship the Holy Spirit.
Come, let us worship Father, Son and Holy Spirit through the Word, music, prayer and faithful hearts. AMEN

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Prayer of Adoration & Confession & The Lord’s Prayer
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Eternal God, You are the source of all life. You give a song to the birds and chatter to the squirrels. You enable aquatic life to breathe under water and artic life to thrive in the coldest of temperatures. You have equipped people and the animal world with gifts of survival, yet our survival in this life is not forever.
Through the sin of humanity, death entered in upon us. We turned from You and the result was hardship and death. You, Almighty God are the source of life and all that is good and perfect. To turn from You is to deny true peace, joy and life eternal. Lord, forgive our sins we pray. Forgive the sins of our ancestors and help us to forgive as well. Forgive us all that we confess in the name of Jesus, and help us to see the sins we ourselves do not realize – sins that limit our peace and joy in YOU. Remind us daily not to cling to the things of this world, but to let go of all that is temporary and cling to our faith and hope in You.
May we awake each day, mindful of the price Jesus paid for our salvation, and as our feet hit the floor, may we embrace each day as a gift and a blessing, as we look forward to the day when we shall all gather with you at the River of Life.
With our hearts filled with hope, we join our voices to pray the prayer Jesus taught His disciples . . .
“ Our Father, who art in heaven… hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thine will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever and ever. AMEN
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Scripture
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Jeremiah 24:6-8
6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

Revelation 22:1-6 Eden Restored
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 2 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. 3 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. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will 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.
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Message
“ Shall We Gather at the River ”
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I was talking with my Auntie this past Sunday, and she had asked what hymn the sermon was based on. After a chat about the Amazing Grace sermon, I asked her what her favourite hymn was. She said she loved them all, so I said if she could only have one hymn, what would it be. After a moment she replied, Shall we Gather at the River. As I began reading up on the hymn, I could see how she might love this hymn. Life has not been easy for my beloved Auntie and she has faced more than her share of tragedy, yet she arises each morning giving thanks for the day, calling every day a gift and a blessing from God. So this sermon is inspired by my Auntie Gladys and the faith she models-. God bless you Auntie, and God bless all of you.
It is the summer of 1864, and a Baptist preacher by the name of Robert Wadsworth Lowrey is laid out on a lounge in his study trying to figure out how to bring hope to his congregation. He is lounging instead of sitting at his desk because the summer heat and humidity has risen to uncomfortable levels. He barely has the energy to fan himself with his Bible. The dress code in 1864 called for heavy fabrics that covered people with modesty. Which might be okay, if there were some air conditioning, but there was not. Despite the heat and exhaustion, Lowry doesn’t give up; there has to be a word, a sentence, a message to reenergize the people’s hope.
Perhaps you can relate to this Baptist preacher, perhaps not with the heat, but with how to keep people motivated amidst ongoing struggles. Many of you have been trying to do that – keep people hopeful in the midst of a pandemic. Just when things have looked like they are going in a positive direction, the numbers rise and we find ourselves in a second lockdown. But we don’t give up. We need one another to keep flicking on the lights of encouragement and hope.
Well, this Lowrey fellow had been leading his flock through a civil war that had begun a few years earlier. The previous summer in Manhattan there were draft riots, and some of the New York City Confederate sympathizers had maliciously damaged the homes of abolitionists and free blacks. And if that were not enough, two of the protestant churches and an orphanage for black children in the city had been burned to the ground. There was a lot of anger, and with it, a great deal of suffering. 1863 had been a challenging year with mounting death tolls and families divided! By 1864 some situations were improving, but the war raged on and the summer brought unbearable heat and a city-wide epidemic of cholera.
Life can be like that sometimes. Just when you think things are improving, democracy is threatened, lives are threatened, financial security is threatened, death tolls climb, emergency measures are required and people are divided over the rights of individual freedom vs public safety.
How do we hold onto hope when situations continue to deteriorate or stack up? How can we remain hopeful when there seems no end to the struggles and sorrows? Where do we find peaceful answers when our opinions are divided?
I don’t know what sermon message Lowry preached to his congregation following his afternoon of contemplation on that hot summer day. I do know this, however, Robert Wadsworth Lowry opened Scripture and found the inspiration to refresh the congregation’s hope through the hymn he composed that afternoon. The hymn was Shall We Gather at the River, and the Scripture that inspired it was Revelation 22:1, “and he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
Can you close your eyes and imagine stepping forward and looking into this pure crystal lake, then looking up to see God, your Creator, at the throne and Christ, your Saviour, at His right hand. God is the source of the River of Life and through Christ, His Son, we have access to this river. And did you notice in our reading from Revelation, that the Tree of Life is here? Did you also notice there is no curse here? That means no death, no suffering, no pain, no hunger, no cold, no extreme heat, no bullying, no riots, not a sin to be found! AMEN. That is our hope, that one day, when Christ returns, we will gather with the saints at the river, that leads to the throne of God.
We have no idea what the future holds. 5 people died in the White House riots earlier this month. Over 5000 people in Ontario have died from Covid-19 since the
pandemic was first identified in Canada. War continues to claim lives around the world and divisive issues continue to pit brother against brother and neighbour against neighbour. Severe summer heat claims lives every year, as does severe winter cold, especially amongst the homeless. People continue to go hungry around the world. Businesses close down, jobs are lost. People need hope!
We have no idea what the tomorrow holds, and there is often little we can do. But one thing we do know and one thing we can do is trust in God’s promises. God promised a Messiah, and we received Jesus. Jesus promised us abundant life in Him, and He went to the Cross to secure that promise for us. Jesus also promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us through whatever this world throws at us, and we need to call out to and trust in the Holy Spirit to be with us now.
Pastor Robert Lowry could not change the circumstances his congregation faced, but he could remind them of God’s promise – one day we will all gather at the river – the beautiful, beautiful river that flows from the throne of the Lord. Today might be overwhelming, but one day we will all gather around the river of Life where there will be no more sin or death – darkness will be extinguished by the glorious light radiating from God.
Hymns are often inspired by the situation and surroundings a hymn writer finds themselves in, and more often than not, the greater inspiration is a revelation from God’s Word. Lowry drew his inspiration from the apostle John. John, who wrote the book of Revelation while living in exile on the island of Patmos, was writing to Christians who were suffering and dying for their faith. He was writing to people who could easily have cried out, “will this ever end,” people who needed encouragement and a vision of where their hope resided.
John reminds them that death does not have the final say, pointing them to Christ, the Lamb of God and to the Tree of life found at the River of God. We can have hope knowing the curse has been eliminated – the nations are healed – we can see the face of our Creator and be welcomed at His throne surrounded by crystal clear waters of life.
Scripture assures us that the struggles and challenges of this life will not last, even though it may seem that way some days. Life’s pain will not last, but the joy and peace found at the river of the water of life is eternal – it is our reward – it is our gift from God.

Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod,
with it's crystal tide forever flowing by the throne of God?

When we reach the shining river, lay we every burden down;
grace our spirits will deliver, and provide a robe and crown.

At the smiling of the river, mirror of the Savior's face,
saints, whom death will never sever, lift their songs of saving grace.

Soon we'll reach the silver river, soon our pilgrimage will cease;
soon our happy hearts will quiver with the melody of peace.

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.
As we sing this beautiful hymn, may I remind you that the ‘yes’ is meant to be sung with enthusiasm. Shall we gather at the river? YES, we’ll gather at the river.
Lets sing……
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Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession
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Giver of Life and Hope, we offer to You our prayers of gratitude and praise. Truly, life is a gift, and gift to be cherished and used to its fullest purpose and potential. Truly, life is a blessing, and we give You thanks for each of our blessings.
We give thanks, Lord God, for those who continue to motivate and encourage the people around them.
We give thanks, for those who never give up, who keep seeking ways to fill people with HOPE.
We give thanks to Jesus, for washing away our sins. May we always be mindful of the cost of our salvation.
We give thanks for healthcare workers, and we ask Your blessing upon them – bless them with added strength and encouragement through this pandemic.
We give thanks for our children, and we ask that the struggles we are going through now will equip them with deeper compassion for their neighbours, locally and globally.
We give thanks for missionaries, ministers, pastors, Christian educators, youth leaders and Bible Study leaders, and mission minded Christians everywhere. God, bless them for their continued efforts to share the Gospel in a society that is separated. Fill them with inspiration through Your Word, and let that inspiration be a blessing to the multitude.
We give thanks for world leaders and local elected officials. Bless them with wisdom and the strength to lead us honestly and with integrity.
We give thanks for those who continue to work in places deemed essential. Many work because they have to, and not because they feel safe doing so. We pray for their safety, Lord God.
WE pray also for Your faithful Churches around the world. May all who call upon You as their Lord and Saviour be strengthened in their faith and blessed through the hope provided through Your Word.
All this we pray in the hope filled Name of Jesus Christ. AMEN
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Commission & Benediction
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Friends, each morning when your feet hit the floor, remember that each day is a gift and a blessing. Get up and live that day with hope. . . and as you do . . .

May the love of God, the peace of Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope and assurance all the days of your life. AMEN
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Support the Work of Knox and Zion in 2021
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DONATIONS TO ZION, TORRANCE
Mail cheques to Zion Presbyterian Church 1046 Torrance Rd, Torrance, ON, P0C 1M0
E-Transfers to zionchurchpc@gmail.com No security question required
Pick up ~ Please call the office (705) 765 3797 to arrange pick up

DONATIONS TO KNOX, PORT CARLING
Mail cheques to Knox Presbyterian Church Box 283, Port Carling, ON,
P0B 1J0
E-Transfers to KnoxChurchPC@gmail.com No security question required
Pick up ~ Please call the office (705) 765-3797 to arrange pick up

Thank you for your continued support!