a glimpse of Zion

Last evening, I had the opportunity to hear R.C. Sproul preach at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC. It was the first talk in a series of three, but unfortunately that will have been my only attendance.

(A side note: Apparently Sinclair Ferguson (head pastor of First Pres.) and RC Sproul are old friends. Which means they both ragged on each other quite a bit before the actual sermon began. ... It was kind of hilarious.)

Sproul taught from two Old Testament texts, Amos 8:9-14 and Hosea 4:1-6. Both of these texts speak of the anger of God towards his covenant people, for their lack of desire for knowledge of Him, and the ensuing famine of his Word that God laid upon his people. It was a powerful message, a challenge to churches today to spend more time (or place more emphasis on) proclaiming the Word of God, that the bride of Christ might grow in her knowledge of God, and so desire God, and through that desire the things of God, more deeply. It was a challenge to our generation, to pursue a knowledge of God, that this famine we are facing might be ended.

Yet perhaps the most powerful moment of the service, for me, was not in the midst of the sermon.

The entire evening was organized like an actual worship service, and the sanctuary at First Pres. was PACKED...I'm talking every seat (including the balcony and choir loft) full, people sitting on the stairs leading up to the balcony, and people standing along the sides and in the back. The capacity of the sanctuary is 1250 people, which means there were MORE than that present. And why does this make a difference?

Before Sproul's address, we all sang a hymn he had written for First Pres., for their bicentennial celebration. It is entitled Saints of Zion, and the final verse and chorus are as follows:

The church of God triumphant shall in that final day

Have all her sons and daughters home from the well fought fray.

Then come, O saints of Zion in sweet communion wed;

The bride awaits her glory: Lord Jesus Christ, her head.

There was something transcendent about standing in that beautiful, old sanctuary, with 1250+ people, singing in one loud, unified voice of the future of the bride of Christ. Knowing we'd all be singing together again, surrounded by even more than those saints present, in the presence of the Almighty. I tell you, I was filled with such shalom...I truly felt I had seen a glimpse of Zion.