Gather our rival faiths within thy fold!
Rend all our temple veils and bid them fall,
that we may know that thou hast been of old;
gather us in.
2. Gather us in: we worship only thee;
in varied names we stretch a common hand;
in diverse forms a common soul we see;
in many ships we seek one spirit-land;
gather us in.
3. Each sees one colour of thy rainbow light;
each looks upon one tint and calls it heaven;
thou art the fullness of our partial sight;
we are not perfect till we find the seven;
gather us in.
4. Some seek a Father in the heavens above,
some ask a human image to adore,
some crave a spirit vast as life and love;
within thy mansions we have all and more;
gather us in.
Scripture; Psalm 93:2; Matthew 27:51; Luke 23:45; John 10:16
"Gather Us In" is a beloved contemporary hymn written by Marty Haugen in the early 1980s, during a period of liturgical renewal following the Second Vatican Council. Haugen, a liturgical composer influenced by both Catholic and Protestant traditions, crafted this hymn to emphasize inclusivity, community, and the active presence of God among worshipers. The text calls together people from all walks of life—the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the joyful and the broken—into a unified body of faith. With lyrics that speak of longing, healing, and transformation, the hymn serves as a musical invocation asking God to "gather us in" and make of the assembled people a new creation. Though often mistakenly linked with more archaic language such as “Thou Love That Fillest All,” which evokes older Christian hymns about divine love, this phrase does not appear in Haugen’s original text. Instead, it reflects a more poetic or mystical tradition of addressing God as the all-encompassing source of love, which resonates thematically with Haugen’s intent but originates from a different hymnody altogether.
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