Jerusalem the golden,
With milk and honey blest!
Beneath thy contemplation
Sink heart and voice oppressed;
I know not, O I know not
What joys await us there;
What radiancy of glory,
What light beyond compare!
They stand, those halls of Zion,
All jubilant with song,
And bright with many an angel,
And all the martyr throng;
The Prince is ever in them,
The daylight is serene;
The pastures of the blessed
Are decked in glorious sheen.
There is the throne of David;
And there, from care released,
The song of them that triumph,
The shout of them that feast;
And they, who with their Leader
Have conquered in the fight,
Forever and forever
Are clad in robes of white.
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall I e’er see Thy face?
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall I e’er win thy grace?
Exult, O dust and ashes,
The Lord shall be thy part;
His only, His forever,
Thou shalt be, and thou art.
Bernard of Cluny, 1145; translated by J. M. Neale, 1851
Read Philippians 3:17-21
Did you catch the date for “Jerusalem, the Golden”? The words are almost a thousand years old, from the pen the monk, Bernard of Cluny. It’s easy to imagine that 12th century monastic life would cause us to long for a better world, but does our modern life do the same? Do we long for the kingdom or are we too comfortable here? Perhaps we don’t long for the New Jerusalem because we can’t imagine it. Even the hymnwriter struggled to find words. If you have extra time, read the description of the city in Revelation 21. Know that in Christ, your citizenship is there.