"Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God" (Psalm 87:3).
I am traveling a bit this spring. In April, I was in Mexico to fellowship with the church and our missionary colleagues in that country. In May I will be in Mongolia. I have recently visited nearer destinations, as well: Chicago, Phoenix, and Center City, Minnesota.
My traveling has reminded me of Psalm 87 – a psalm that we owe to "the sons of Korah" extolling the glories of Zion. It is a poem of praise for the glorious things, the wonderfully incredible things, that may be said of God’s holy city. It is the psalm, in later days, that inspired John Newton to compse his classic hymn, "Glorious things of thee are spoken.
"Glorious things. But what are they?
In particular, interestingly, the psalmist finds the city register – the list of the citizens belonging to this city – something truly "glorious." They are Egyptians and Babylonians, Philistines, Tyreans and Ethiopians (v.4). Egyptians are among those who "know me," says the Lord. So are Philistines – exactly the sort of folk you should not expect in Zion. And not only do they appear on the register. They appear as natural-born citizens. "This one and that one were born in her," the psalm says (v.5). No immigrants, these. "The Lord records, as he registers the peoples, ‘This one was born there’ " (v.6). They are heirs to the same blessing, the same privilege, the same calling and responsibility as any other citizen.
In our day, it is truly glorious to notice the multicolored, variously gifted, splendid variety of Christian citizenship in spiritual Zion. The register includes Africans, Asians and Latin Americans. Mexican citizens. Mongolian citizens. Even some Minnesotans. And they are not, somehow, "foreigners" in God’s city. They are natural-born citizens, with the same rights and responsibilities as any other. They are "us."
In our particular fellowship, of course, many have Norwegian, or Swedish or German backgrounds. I am rather Swedish myself. We need to learn, however, how to do the work and live the life of Zion as co-citizens with Egyptians and Babylonians and Tyreans. It is an absolutely glorious thing. It is among the great challenges – and wonderful blessings – before the church today.
As I travel to Mexico and Mongolia (and even Minnesota) I do not find a "mission field" – if by "field" we mean something passive, something that western missionaries act upon, something less than Zion. I find sisters and brothers, perhaps young in their faith, yet natural-born citizens in the same Kingdom of Christ. I find co-citizens and co-laborers. I find partners in ministry, gripped by the same Lord and compelled by the same Commission. It is no wonder that the image caused John Newton to sing. This is spiritual Zion. And it is truly a "glorious thing."
"The Way I See It", May 2001
© Copyright 2001 (World Mission Prayer League). All rights reserved.