SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER? (in honour of Ariyo Afolaranmi)

Dearly Beloved, SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER? (in honour of Ariyo Afolaranmi) “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1 NKJV). Recently, I was at a bakery to buy some loaves of bread at wholesale price. Some of the bakers were singing the hymn “SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER?” with fun. I rebuked them and told them that such hymn is not one that one should be singing carelessly. One of them answered me that they might be singing it with fun, but one should be reminded that such hymn would be sung at one’s funeral one day. He went further to assert that everyone will die one day, so, we should not be afraid of singing such hymn, even at workplace. The baker was right! The sudden death and burial of one of my pastor-colleagues was still fresh in my memory that day. Less than a month after that incident, the cold hands of death snatched one of my younger brothers, ARIYO AFOLARANMI, after he battled with a liver-related sickness. We, his siblings and other relations, tried all we could to rescue him from this life-threatening ailment, but our efforts could not stop death from taking him away from his wife, young daughters, siblings and other loved ones. As we buried him later that day, the hymn “SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER?” came to my mind. Shall we really gather at the river? The hymn “SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER?” was composed by a Baptist pastor, Robert Lowry, was born on 12 March 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He composed the hymn one afternoon in July 1864 during the American Civil War when he was the pastor of Hanson Place Baptist church, Brooklyn, New York, USA. People were dying all over the place. When Robert was not busy visiting the members of his congregation who were sick, he was busy burying others who had died. In that oppressively hot weather, while he was resting on the couch in his home, he thought about all the people who were dying. He also thought about the great reunion at the river of life in heaven referred to in Revelation 22:1. As he lay there, visions of the future passed before him with amazing vividness. He imaged the bright throne of God, the angels of God treading on the river, and especially the gathering of the saints. He wondered whether we (the saints) will gather at that river, and later concluded that we will gather at the river! Yes! The saints in the Lord will gather at the beautiful river that flows by the throne of God. However, will you be one of those saints? Will I be one of those saints? This is a big pertinent question that we should be asking ourselves everyday. Shall we really gather at the river? In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Points: 1. Pray for the wife, young daughters, siblings and other loved ones of one of my younger brothers, ARIYO AFOLARANMI, for the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss and for God’s sustenance over his immediate family. 2. Pray that you will not miss the gathering of the saints at the beautiful river that flows by the throne of God. NB: This message is dedicated to one of my younger brothers, late ARIYO AFOLARANMI (July 14, 1976 - August 9, 2018).