One of the most beautiful theological ideas to me is the concept of Zion, often called Jerusalem or even the New Jerusalem. It is revered in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and the Rastafari movement. In various ways according to the different traditions it represents peace and holiness, a place of joy and absolute safety, a place of holiness. In my faith, in the Pearl of Great Price, we read about the City of Enoch, “And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” (Moses 7:18). Similarly, in Acts 4:32 we read, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.”
This idea of unity is enticing. But what does it mean to be of one heart and one soul and one mind? What does it even mean to have no poor among us? Just as a side note, as I’m writing this we are in the middle of a daylong battle between our cat and our dog. Let’s just say that they are not exhibiting this idea of one heart and mind!
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I don’t believe that being of one heart, soul, or mind means giving up our individuality of thought, personality, interests, or ideas. God never intended for people to have absolute uniformity in all things, including interpretation of His word. He created us all with unique gifts, talents, styles, and struggles. Having said that, though, I do believe that what God is asking for is that we have one heart – united in our love of Him. One heart – united in our love of our fellowman. One heart – united in striving to understand God’s will and trying to do it. One heart – united in nonjudgmental serving and lifting. Afterall, the great commandment is to love the Lord with our whole hearts and the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves. That’s it.
As far as having all things in common and having no poor among us, I recognize that there are many forms of poverty, including both financial and emotional. Surely having no poor among us means helping to eradicate the crippling effects of financial poverty that have a vast variety of causes as well as being aware of and caring for those who are in emotional distress.
William Blake (1757 – 1827) is one of my very favorite poets. In his preface to Milton – A Poem in Two Books he wrote the stirring words that have become known as Jerusalem. These words, later set to music by Hubert Parry (and then orchestrated by Sir Edward Elgar) have become the unofficial British national anthem. It is absolutely gorgeous. He begins the poem by referring to a popular English legend about how a young Jesus visited England with Joseph of Arimathea and toured the countryside with him in a bit of a business trip. Blake references this before writing a rather cryptic comment in the last two lines of his second stanza. A critic of both the industrial revolution and what he viewed as the hypocrisy in the ranks of organized religion, Blake was outspoken about both allowing there to be a debate on whether Blake was ripping on the evils of the burgeoning manufacturing industry or the evils of those within the church with his lines about “these dark satanic mills.”
Blake’s final two stanzas are where I find the power in this poem, however. Here he calls for access to Heavenly tools and vows to use those tools in the fight to build Jerusalem – Zion – in his native land.
And did those feet in ancient time,
William Blake
Walk upon England’s mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England’s pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green and pleasant Land.
I have to honestly ask myself: how hard am I willing to fight to build Jerusalem in my corner of the world? How much effort am I willing to expend to bring to pass Zion? What am I doing to help alleviate inequity, injustice, poverty, sorrow, division, and pain? I have seen some powerful examples throughout my life that I wish to follow to win this fight for the Lord’s Jerusalem. Here are just a few of those examples.
Ben worked in downtown Los Angeles for about a dozen years. He knew all the homeless by name, knew their background stories, listened to them share their daily struggles, and helped when he felt it was appropriate. He even helped people get job training and find jobs, he gave them information on agencies or individuals who could help with housing, and sometimes provided food. In this very important way he was helping build Jerusalem there in Los Angeles.
Years ago I found myself in a situation that was extremely cliquish and I felt uncomfortable every time I stepped foot into church. I’ll never forget the day Dorothy walked up and asked if she could sit by me. I was so grateful! She then invited me into her life and we soon discovered a mutual love of literature and writing. We remained friends until her death from Alzheimer’s several years ago, and I will always love her for her kindness. Dorothy helped build Jerusalem by taking a very insecure woman under her wing and showing her love.
One night I attended a meeting for young single adults hosted by a leader in my church. One young man, Kellie, stood up and asked why he was ignored at church every week; why people wouldn’t talk to him; why people looked away when they saw him walking down the hall; why people laughed at him. It was a humbling moment. I’ll never forget the words of Paul Dunn as he addressed the crowded room that night: “I don’t know why people who claim to be Christians don’t act it,” he said. Then, “There is no place at all in God’s Kingdom for unkindness, incivility, and hatred. We should always love one another.” He concluded with an “I’m so sorry” to Kellie, and I couldn’t help but wish I could crawl under a bench. Things changed after that. Kellie and Terry (a severely physically and mentally handicapped young man also in our congregation) soon became favorites. The truly loving service, genuine in its giving, was beautiful to watch. When Kellie died a very few years later we had a young adult choir of more than 40 people singing at his funeral. That group of young adults had learned a valuable lesson about building Jerusalem.
Lastly there is this story. I was asked to sing at a funeral several years ago for a young woman who had passed away in a state mental hospital. The request was made by a friend of this girl’s family and I agreed, not knowing anything about the people involved. What I learned amazed me. This girl was born with a severe mental handicap that the parents didn’t feel they could cope with. When she was about ten years old, they institutionalized her and then moved out of state. Their good friend, the one who asked me to sing, also had a severely handicapped child. Her son had been in a car accident as a young adult and was left in a vegetative state. The parents kept him at home and cared for all his elemental needs until he passed away more than a decade later, even though it had been difficult and disruptive to their lives. What most amazed me, however, was that this mother – the one who made the sacrifice for her son – never said a single judgmental word about the parents of the girl who had passed away in an institution. She made it clear that she understood that not everyone can handle things in the same way. She spoke about how much the other children in that family thrived because all the focus wasn’t on the one very needy child, amongst other things. Her attitude of non-judgmental love was the best sermon possible about what it takes to build Jerusalem.
I want to build Jerusalem. I want the safety and love that Zion will provide. I am determined to not “cease my mental fight” and not let my “sword” of action sleep in my hand until this is accomplished. I hope that you will join me in this battle. The work isn’t actually hard – it just requires having love – and the reward will be glorious.
Look to God and Live... Joyfully! 