CORNER CUT PILLARS AND FULL-GROWN PLANTS

Do you remember the first time you walked through a great city?

The moment you stepped onto the sidewalk something caught you off guard. It is like touching an exposed wire and feeling the jolt of electricity. That feeling stayed with you walking through the streets - maybe it was the buildings, the skyline, or the buzz among the people. Or maybe your great city didn't have a skyline, but an ocean view or a grand horizon off to the west. 

You drink in a great city with all five senses. They collude together to create a memory. That memory visits you like an old friend, and when it does, you introduce it to the people you know.

Did I ever tell you about the time I took a train to Paris?
Once, I was in a long line waiting for a cheesesteak in Philadelphia...
The first time I found myself in a plane circling LAX, I saw...

We want people to know about the great cities we've visited.

The famous psalm writers, the sons of Korah, wrote about such a city in Psalm 48. The city is Zion. When the Bible speaks of this place it is more than the historical city of Jerusalem. It is also a heavenly metaphor for the world made right, the city of God. In Psalm 48, Korah's sons take us on a walking tour of Zion and encourage us to look all around. 

Drink it in with your eyes, the mountain - its elevation, the skyline - its citadels. Most of all, take in the temple. This is where God's name dwells. His presence is so great in the city that to its enemies, Zion looks like an impenetrable fortress. They were gathering to attack it, but instead they turn tail and run.

The details are beautifully painted, and if you've been part of the Church awhile, the ultimate metaphor is easy to understand. God's presence among us is our defense. It is the beauty of our community. It is long-lasting and sure. How much more is that true for Christians who wait for the heavenly Zion to descend with Christ, the lamb who was slain, seated on the throne in the midst of that city?

But what do the sons of Korah want us to do with this picture?

They let us know in Psalm 48:13. "...that you may tell the next generation..."

Great cities endure. They have a reputation that lasts decades. Why tell the next generation about a great city? Why not just take them on a visit? Let them see for themselves.

They are telling us that this city is more than buildings, more than streets, even more than the stones in the temple. This is ultimately a city made of living stones. The city of God is the Church of God, made of generations of those who are united to Christ by faith.

You and I must tell the next generation. We must tell them that, united to Christ by faith, you don't just visit the great city of God, but you are part of the structure of the city of God.

What does that look like, the next generation being part of the structure of the city of God?
Psalm 144:12 helps us:
May our sons in their youth be like plants full-grown,
Our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace.

You see? People are part of the scenery of the city.
The next generation, sons and daughters, are meant to grow and be part of the great city.
They don't just visit. They inhabit.

Notice, too, that the images are flipped from what our culture typically identifies as masculine and feminine. We wax eloquent about girls blossoming into womanhood - plant imagery. We expect boys to be strong, the kind of men who hold the line against the tide - building imagery.

Yet this psalm calls boys plants and girls stone pillars.

Boys are called to grow into men who bear fruit, fruit in season. Look at the blessed man of Psalm 1 to see more. Tap roots deep in good soil by a stream, draw living water, and bear fruit.
Connected to Jesus Christ by faith, boys grow into men who bear fruit.

Girls are the great stone pillars of the city's palace. Pillars like that serve two purposes. First, they bear the weight of the structure. Corner pillars are load-bearing and hold together the entire edifice. They are also the first thing people see as they walk by. Those pillars are part of the palace's eye-catching beauty and signal to people that it is a royal residence.

It's no surprise that recent research by the Pew Trust and PRRI on church growth shows that the experience of young people in the church, from ages 3 to 17, shapes whether they stay connected to their faith for their whole lives. This wisdom has been in the psalms for ages.

How well do you know the City of God? What is your part in the structure? Is it an electrifying city? Is it your city? 

Is it a city so great that you must tell the next generation about it?

Where do you hear God calling you to that work?