Advent December 2nd
Have you ever contemplated the idea of “fame with God”? It was a phrase from C.S. Lewis which the C.S. Lewis Institute Advent devotional used today. I have probably read it before, but it really struck me how this tiny little phrase truly conveys so much. When I was young I thought being rich and famous would be a wonderful thing — the beautiful homes, the travel, the glory, the implied significance. As a middle-aged adult I marvel that anyone would want to be famous.
Still though maybe that childish longing is really just a perversion of what has truly been placed in our hearts by our Creator. Maybe that desire in its pure form is to have “fame with God.” And incredibly we have it. He knows us and loves us as individuals! This is where we are designed to find ultimate significance in the fame of being His son or daughter.
As Paul wrote in Ephesians, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (3:17-18).
In Making Room I wrote about how the life of Jesus was marked by humility from beginning to end. A few days ago I read Room for a Little One to a group of kids and got choked up thinking about how unreal it is that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born in a stable. We can’t fully fathom the sacrifice of giving up Heaven, much less the injustice He endured. But we know His motive was to lovingly pay for our sin, to ransom the undeserving out of the purest love possible
I adore this song from Chris Isaak about how much Jesus loves us.
I saw a star above the clouds
It was the brightest one
And I have just begun to understand you
You give me reason to believe
And though I've doubted you
You always see me through
I owe it all to you
Your love
You give it away
I fall to my knees and I pray
And from a cross they say you give your love to everyone
I think of all I've done
And still you care for me
Your love
You give it away
I fall to my knees and I pray
Your love
And in the crowd I smile and listen
As the children sing
Their voices caroling
Each lyric means one thing
Your love
You give it away
I fall to my knees and I pray
Your love
Your love
I praise your love
Digging Deeper:
Does the love of God make you want to fall to your knees and pray?
Do you have a longing for fame? Do you think it is truly a longing for “fame with God”?