Psalm 87, Born in Zion

Having a place to belong is important. Being rooted gives us a sense of security, a sense of belonging. That’s part of the lament around the Syrian Refugee crisis. The numbers of displaced people is staggering. Tent towns don’t give any sense of permanence or belonging.

Yet the Sons of Korah celebrate a sense of belonging in Ps 87. To them, the place to belong was Mt. Zion. Why was that the most precious home address?

Mt. Zion is God’s dwelling place on earth. It’s the site of the Temple, with its outer court, inner court, and the holy of holies. There, above the Ark of the Covenant, was God’s mercy seat, between the wings of the golden cherubim. Living close to that, is the best place in the world!

It was a special thing for the people of Israel to have the Lord live in their midst. It was an honour to live in Jerusalem. From the sounds of this song, it seems that people claimed bragging rights, “I was born in Zion.”

Does anything like this happen in PEI?

Back home, the Saint John River flows through downtown Fredericton, dividing the city. Some people claim superiority based on living north or south of the river. Some don’t really want to cross the river, not if they can avoid it.

Some people with long NB pedigrees consider that something to boast about. Surely nobody on the Island would do that though, would they?

The Jewish people have had that reputation. God’s instructions in the Torah were to keep themselves distinct, separate. Human prided seized on that distinction and made it a dividing wall of hostility. Their pride created an unhealthy sense of superiority. Every once in a while I detect that sinful feeling of superiority among CRC folk – even in myself.

But the Sons of Korah don’t take Psalm 87 in that direction. Inspired by God the HS, they celebrate the Lord’s grace in adopting people from other nations. This song includes a mind-blowing list of Israel’s historic enemies:

Rahab = Egypt

Babylon – from Isaiah on, a symbol of evil and injustice

Philistia

Tyre

Cush = Ethiopia

Despite years of antagonism, these folks claim citizenship in God’s holy city! They acknowledge the God of Zion.

God’s Law provide for this. Deuteronomy 23 has a whole list of instructions about enfolding newcomers into his chosen people. Some of them need to wait 3 – 10 generations to gain citizenship. But that’s not regarded in this Psalm. They celebrate God’s gracious acceptance, “This one was born in Zion!”

I wonder if Jesus was humming this Psalm when he spoke with Nicodemus the Pharisee about the need to be born again. See, Jesus gives those outside God’s covenant people the privilege of being born again; being adopted into God’s household of faith; being included among God’s covenant people.

By rights, all humankind is on the outside looking in. Our first parents were driven out of God’s presence in the Garden of Eden. We still bear the weight of their doom. In all honesty, God has a problem with me. I haven’t lived up to God’s call to holiness.

Although humankind was created good and with the ability to be loving and righteous, Adam & Eve plunged the human race into disobedience when they sinned. We are doomed to death, estranged from God, and driven out of our homeland close to God. In his holiness and justice, God holds me –and you – accountable for our actions, words, and thoughts.

We cannot make it right. Even our best efforts to please God are flawed. We increase our guilt every day.

But God is also full of compassion. In the OT, that compassion is visible in calling the people of Israel into relationship. The Torah was given so they can enjoy atoning sacrifices and live in righteousness. God makes his dwelling right among them – temple on Mt. Zion.

In the fullness of time, God the Son came to live among his people. He was born as a boy. Jesus came to be the substitute for humankind. Completely human and completely divine, Jesus was the only one capable of atoning for the sin of humankind AND bearing the punishment for sin.

That happened on the cross on Mt. Zion. Jesus died in our place. He was buried. His resurrection is evidence that he atoned for sin and conquered death. The resurrection is our assurance that we have been forgiven and given life. We’ve been rescued FROM a live of restless unrighteousness TO a life of acceptance and service among God’s dearly loved people. God the Holy Spirit is poured out on God’s people so that we can love God and neighbour.

In this miracle of forgiveness and adoption among God’s chosen people, there’s ample room for celebration. We celebrate our identity in Christ. We can borrow the phrase from Ps 87, “This one was born in Zion.” That’s what this baptism is about too.

Shayne & Sarah, you have confessed your need for forgiveness and your faith in Jesus Christ. When you professed your faith, you accepted God’s promises. This morning, you’ll be asked to accept God’s grace on Tineke’s behalf too.

It’s one of the responsibilities of parenthood. You accept the child tax credit on Tineke’s behalf from the government. You accept gifts from family and friends. This morning you stand before God’s people to accept God’s covenant promises for your daughter. “This one is born in Zion!”

It’s a phrase in the baptismal form, “we are always to teach our little ones that they have been set apart by baptism as God’s own children.” Sound familiar? Our identity must be celebrated.

But there’s no room for pride. We weren’t born in Zion by our own choice. Our whole confession is that Jesus redeemed us because we are undeserving. We aren’t good enough nor strong enough to save ourselves. We’re saved by God’s grace.

I wonder if that’s what the Sons of Korah meant by that song title, “All my fountains are in you”? Like water from the rock in the wilderness, God’s forgiveness is a gift of grace, not something we earned or found by ourselves.

So our celebration that “this one was born in Zion” is a humble celebration. It’s a celebration of God’s grace; a celebration of the wonders God has done in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

This gift of grace also affects our service. It affects our sense of hospitality. If God can welcome us, if God can integrate people from Philistia and Babylon into his covenant people on Mt. Zion, we might need to stretch a little further in our own hospitality. Extend a sense of belonging to others.

I’ll give you 2 examples of what I mean:

Reserved seat, long ago, far away

Refugees