What is the City Upon a Hill?

In his farewell address to the nation on January 11, 1989, Ronald Reagan uttered these now famous words:

“I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it.  But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.  That’s how I saw it and see it still…”

In this political season, I could not help but reflect on the saying as many candidates have mentioned it in days recent.  But with due respect to the late President, the phrase did not originate with him (nor did he claim it did).  Nor does it belong to the pilgrim John Winthrop who wrote about the city Upon a Hill in 1630, stating:

“the Lord make it like that of New England:  for we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouthes of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all professors for God’s sake; we shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether we are going…”

Winthrop was speaking concerning Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

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.”

Although the origin of the phrase comes from the lips of our Saviour himself (Matthew 5:14-16), there is some good wisdom in the sayings of both President Reagan and John Winthrop. 

President Reagan said that the City would be one “built on rocks”, and that it would be God-blessed.  He went on to say that if it had walls, the walls would have doors so that anyone with the will to get there could.  When we place our trust in Christ, we really are building our mortal and spiritual home on a solid rock.  And if the City of the Gospel does have walls – indeed it does and it must – there is a door.  And anyone who comes into the City must come by way of the cross at the door’s entrance. 

When Christ spoke these words, he was talking to believers.  When push comes to shove, we are all here for one very specific reason:  to worship God, which is what Jesus says in the last verse:  “Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

As much as I love America – and as much as I believe in American exceptionalism – America is certainly not the City Upon a Hill.  YOU are the light Christ is referring to if you’re trusting in Him today – and I am.  WE, the Church, the bride of Christ, are the City Upon a Hill.  We are his pride and his crowning creation achievement. 

And as Winthrop rightly points out, “the eyes of all people are upon us”.  They are watching to see what we do and what we say.  Christ instructs us to do good works.  Winthrop warns us not to “deal falsely with our God”, lest he withdraw his help from us.  One needn’t look through the Bible very far to see that there is precedence for God doing this.  When God’s people turn their backs upon him, when they look to idols, when they defiantly dive headlong into deliberate sin, God will not be mocked. 

Especially as we enter this new year, I cannot help but think of this verse (to my mind, one of the greatest calls to repentance in the scriptures):  “If MY (Christ- emphasis mine) people, which are called by MY name (CHRISTian), shall humble themselves (you – and me), and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I (God) hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  II Chronicles 7:16

That, to me, seems like a great way to approach this new year.  Not with resolutions, but with an honest commitment to obey from the heart that form of doctrine which has been taught us.

1.    Humble Myself (only when we search our own hearts can we tell what causes pride to well up within us – I think it can be different for different people)

2.    Pray (even when we don’t know what to pray, spending time with God)

3.    Seek His Face (this comes not only through prayer, but through absorbing God’s Word)

4.    Turn from Sin (God gives help to do this – I Corinthians 10:13).  Whatever it takes to turn from sin is worth it, even if it calls for drastic action.

It seems like a great recipe for 2012.  I hope 2012 is the best year of your life – and mine.  And I earnestly hope that people of America – and across the World – will consider what they would do with Christ.  Neutrality equates to denial in God’s economy.