City on the Hill

My wife and I recently got Casting Crowns latest CD (Two years after it was released). It has a couple songs I really like, but for the first time, several that don't do much for me. But there are a few songs on this Album, Come to the Well, that are extremely powerful. I don't know if I'll write about all of them, I made a short post on track 1, Courageous, on my other blog last week. I've heard that song, and track 3, Jesus Friend of Sinners, several times over the last two years, but track 2, City on the Hill, was brand new to me.

Did you hear of the city on the hill?
Said one old man to the other
It once shined bright and it would be shining still
But they all started turning on each other

You see, the poets thought the dancers were shallow
And the soldiers thought the poets were weak
And the elders saw the young ones as foolish
And the rich man never heard the poor man speak

And one by one, they ran away
With their made up minds, to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade, in the city on the hill
The city on the hill

Each one thought that they knew better
That they were different by design
Instead of standing strong together
They let their differences divide

And one by one, they ran away
With their made up minds, to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade, in the city on the hill
The city on the hill

And the world is searching still

But it was the rhythm of the dancers
That gave the poets life
It was the spirit of the poets
That gave the soldiers strength to fight
It was the fire of the young ones
It was the wisdom of the old
It was the story of the poor man
That needed to be told

It is the rhythm of the dancers
That gives the poets life
It is the spirit of the poets
That gives the soldiers strength to fight
It is the fire of the young ones
It is the wisdom of the old
It is the story of the poor man
That's needing to be told

One by one, will we run away
With our made up minds to leave it all behind
As the light begins to fade, in the city on the hill

One by one, will we run away
With our made up minds, to leave it all behind
As the light begins to fade, in the city on the hill
The city on the hill

Come home
And the Father's calling still
Come home
To the city on the hill
Come home

Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5.14-16). Most likely He was referring to Tzippori (silent T), also known as Sepphoris. It was a thriving Roman city in Galilee. It was a center of business and trade, a place full of life. It was a place that could not be hidden, and was easily seen by travelers on the road in the valley below.

The Church is to be a beacon of light that shines brightly in the darkness. It is to point people to God, and give glory to Him. Each of us is to be a light. But many don't do this today. The Church is not the respected body it once was, and in many places it is dwindling and trying to cling to life. What happened to the thriving city on the hill?

I'm not the first one to say this, and it isn't the first time I've said it, the Church we have today, is not what God intended for it to be. We were meant to be a city of young and old, the artistic, the academic, and the athletic, and yes there will be rich and poor. But in spite of our differences, we were meant to stand and shine together.

The academic, the poets, often find the artistic, the dancers, shallow and simple. The athletic, the soldiers, usually see the academic as weak. The young normally see the old as outdated and irrelevant, and the old see the young as foolish and inexperienced. Most of the time the rich don't take time for the poor. The city is divided, walls are built, and the individual lights begin to go out as the light of the city fades.

The Church has stopped being a city, and instead has become a country club. In a city every one works, in a country club you're there to take it easy. A city has travelers pass through and interact with the people; a country club is exclusive to members. In a city the people interact with each other and work together to better it; at a country club you sit with your clique of acquaintances and leave everyone else alone. Which one sounds more like your church?

Paul said in Philippians 2, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain" (verses 14-16).

Each member is a light. Each one shines in the darkness. Most of us have probably heard the stories of a single match lighting up the darkness of a huge cave, but honestly I don't know if I really believe that. My wife and I went into a couple of caves on our honeymoon. One we found along a hiking path and ventured a little ways into. The other one was part of a group tour that we got to take part of. The one along the path we went into with a flash light I had. It really didn't do much and my wife hit her leg on a rock, which I got blamed for since I had the flash light. The other cave we were with the group and the guide was explaining how people used to explore the cave before the modern set up of stairs, walkways, and electric lights. He turned them off and lit a candle, and honestly it didn't do that much, it lit up the area, but nowhere near what I expected it to from stories I had heard growing up. One light on its own doesn't really do all that much. But many lights, burning together, can chase off the darkness. "A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

The only way for the Church to be the Church that God created it to be is for us to stop running away, to stop being offended when something doesn't go our way, to stop being divided and stand firm together. It is the creativity of the artist that inspires the academic, and it is the passion of the academic that inspires the athletic. All of this feeds the fire of the young, and it is only this fire that will be able to transform the way things are and bring change, but it needs the wisdom of the old to channel it and guide it. And the rich must take time for the poor. We must reach out and help them so that there is no need.

If we continue on the road we are on the light will continue to fade and eventually be snuffed out. Many of the older church population I've listened to wonder why the Church is dying, and the answer is because the Church isn't being the Church. There is division and complacency, passion is smothered and starved, and the few that are trying to change the world are exhausted. One by one those who wanted and hoped to bring change are leaving and not looking back. Those with stories never get the chance to raise their voices, and valuable wisdom is never passed down because the music is too "worldly". And all the while the world is searching for a fading light that is getting harder and harder to see. They run after will-o'-the-wisps ("foolish fire"/atmospheric ghost lights seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. It resembles a flickering lamp and is said to recede if approached, drawing travellers from the safe paths.)

Church, we must shake off the attitude of complacency and entitlement. We must realize that this is about something so much bigger than us, and that we are simply servants of the King of kings. Church is not about us, but about Him. We are not in this for our comfort but to build His Kingdom. Are we ready to be the Church? Or do we want to waste more time and let the light continue to fade?

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you