I arrived early to ensure I would have a seat for the service. One of our afterschool teachers, Ms. Barnes, had been tragically killed in a car accident the week before. As the service drew near, the chapel of her local church began to fill, overflowing as people stood along the walls to pay their respects and celebrate her life. Her years of service made an impact, resulting in one of the most memorable funerals I have ever attended.

The service began with a processional of the family, an entrance different than any I have seen before or since. The family marched in, swaying back and forth to the song “Marching to Zion,” while the congregation sang these words that still ring in my ear,

“We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful, Zion:
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.”

There was a sense of hope as we celebrated the life of Ms. Barnes and her eternal resting place with our Lord. This song lasted half an hour as the family proceeded down the aisle and around the chapel several times before settling in their seats. 

It was a transcendent moment that pointed the congregation upward, toward the hill of the Lord, where God dwells with His people. Zion means peace and refuge, and amid sorrow, the family was marching toward their peace and refuge, as now, Ms. Barnes entered her eternal dwelling with the Lord.

In moments of loss, I am often reminded of how we, as believers, are on a journey to Zion, a sanctuary with our God. Although we can experience that peace in a new way at the end of our days, God wants us to rest in Him, here and now.

Recently, I took my family on a different journey to Zion. It was a cross-country road trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles and back again. The highlight of this expedition was our stop at Zion National Park. The rock formations direct your attention heavenward as you gaze at the beauty of God’s creation from the canyon below. The park received its name more than 150 years ago from pioneer Isaac Behunin. “A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as he can in any man-made church; this is Zion.”

I stood in the valley with my family, amazed as we gazed at the monumental splendor of the peaks of Angel’s Landing and the Court of the Patriarchs. Even the names point you toward God. Never have I felt more aware of my frailty and insignificance in relation to the Creator of the universe. In that place, my heart resonated with the Psalmist:

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”

Psalm 33: 6–9 (NIV)

Indescribable. Uncontainable. God is my refuge and peace, my Zion. His desire for you and me is to dwell in His holy presence. Sometimes I get distracted, or I allow my view to get distorted. I need to be reminded to lift my eyes up and remember that my help comes from the Lord.  

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice,  for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

Psalm 33: 20–22 NIV