This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2020. The first reading is taken from the creation story in Genesis, Genesis 1:1-2:4a. There is a portion which deals with the waters
“And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
“And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.”
It led me to think of the Rappahannock River, a portion which flows by St. Peter’s and Port Royal. We have celebrated River in a yearly celebration “Gospel on the River” and on Easter Sunday at the Sunrise service.
The King Singers have recently released “Down in the River to Pray”, recorded acapella from their homes during COVID-19. They write, “From our homes during isolation, we recorded a song which has been very special to us ever since it was arranged by our former baritone, Philip Lawson, in 2002.” Photographs of the Rappahannock river in various seasons at various events were combined with their vocal adaptation to create a video celebrating the peace and spiritual nature of that river.
“Down in the River to Pray” (also known as “Down to the River to Pray,” “Down in the Valley to Pray,” “The Good Old Way,” and “Come, Let Us All Go Down”) is a traditional American song variously described as a Christian folk hymn, an African-American spiritual, an Appalachian song, and a southern gospel song. The exact origin of the song is unknown. Research suggests that it was composed by an African-American slave
The earliest known version of the song, titled “The Good Old Way,” was published in Slave Songs of the United States in 1867.The song (#104) was contributed to that book by George H. Allan of Nashville, Tennessee, who may also have been the transcriber.
In some versions, “in the river” is replaced by “to the river”. The phrase “in the river” is significant, for two reasons. The more obvious reason is that the song has often been sung at outdoor baptisms (such as the full-immersion baptism depicted in the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?). Another reason is that many slave songs contained coded messages for escaping. When the slaves escaped, they would walk in the river because the water would cover their scent from the bounty-hunters’ dogs.Similarly, the “starry crown” could refer to navigating their escape by the stars.And “Good Lord, show me the way” could be a prayer for God’s guidance to find the escape route, commonly known as “the Underground Railroad.