Heaven Bound

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all” 1 Chronicles 29:11

This past weekend while on a trip to Denver we visited a church with some of our extended family. During the worship service one of the lines to a song we were singing included something about making Jesus famous. And that really struck me … and stuck with me …make Jesus famous, really? I don’t know about you but for me it seemed like a very poor choice of words as Jesus hardly needs us to make him famous.

And while I understand that the writer most likely intended the thought of making Jesus known in his or her own life (and the lives of others) it still held a rather significant cringe factor for me.

This morning I was reading a devotional article by David Mathis on a site called Desiring God. It is titled, “The Lost Awe of Majesty” and recounts how the praise song ” Majesty” came to be written. And the story goes as follows:

In 1977 Pastor Jack Hayford (of California) and his wife were in England for the 25th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Noting the grandeur and pomp of the occasion (which could only be described as majestic) Pastor Hayford thought how much more so our Creator and the majesty that is his. Which caused him subsequently to write the well known and much loved praise song Majesty. The lyrics you will probably recognize immediately.

“Majesty! Worship his majesty!
Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise.
Majesty! Kingdom authority,
Flow from his throne, unto his own;
His anthem raise”

Can you imagine a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for Queen Elizabeth? Silly, right? The reigning Monarch and Queen of the United Kingdom needs no such accouterment and (if one were made) would in fact tarnish and be little the dignity of the position that she holds. How much more so for Jesus!

Let’s look at the definition of famous. According to Websters on-line dictionary it means 1) widely known 2) recognized for achievement

And while one could say, “well, the Queen is widely known” thus she is famous or “she is known for the progress she has made during her years as reigning Monarch” so that makes her famous it still falls short of the simple dignity of the title she holds and would in fact diminish it if used otherwise. How much more so with Jesus. The title he bears as Sovereign Lord and Creator of the universe stands alone. He is not in need of anything and has never been nor never will be in need of anyone or anything to make him famous.

I’ve noticed the past few years some rather poor theology coming out of Christian music and maybe you have too. And while some may think “What’s the big deal?” It is in fact, “a big deal” and while the writer may have meant well words do matter and to make Jesus lesser than who he is is no less than blasphemy. A very serious offense and not to be taken lightly by any of us.

If you are interested in reading the article from Desiring God that I mentioned above you can read it here. Just click on the highlighted word.

And as always, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper who love thee” Psalm 122:6

Watching and waiting with YOU for the soon return of Jesus! Cindy