Of Springs and Living Stones: Psalm 87 and the Memory of Zion in Christian Preaching

Abstract

Central to Hebrew Scripture traditions of covenant fidelity is Zion: the holy city Jerusalem, chief locus of ancient Judean worship and a pilgrimage site for countless believers. In many biblical texts, Jerusalem is personified as Daughter Zion: beloved of YHWH, ravaged by enemies, awaiting God’s glorious restoration. This essay focuses on the act of remembering Zion as a sacred practice fruitful for the Christian homiletical imagination. Exploring Zion traditions with their congregations, preachers can deepen the capacity of their hearers to respond to historical and contemporary traumas, build up global communities in justice, and bear witness to the eschatological hope of the Gospel. Psalm 87 is a powerful resource for Christian believers learning to envision Zion as the joyous kin-dom of all who love the Holy One.