I came home tonight a little later than usual. I carried in pizza as my wife managed the kids. Last night's episode of The Voice was streaming on Hulu in the background.
I'm not much of a TV watcher. But I was tired, so I picked up my son, sat on the couch and started tickling him.
Then I saw the Kingdom of God break through on national television.
Craig Wayne Boyd took the stage and sang "The Old Rugged Cross." As I bounced my son on my knee, I found myself slowing down. Then just holding him. Then I clutched him.
I can't quite explain it. The performance was technically wonderful. The orchestra was spot-on. But there was more there. Even more than the passion in Boyd's voice.
Toward the end of the song, I could barely contain my tears. I tried not to talk. And then, after the performance coach Pharrell Williams asked Boyd, "Going through everything that you've gone through to get yourself here at this place, I have a question for you. What does it feel like to be at the top of your game, and to surrender it to God in front of the whole entire world?"
I don't know anything about Craig Wayne Boyd, but that's exactly what he did. He took all his own fame and glory - and he handed it back to God. Back to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is what Christians do. This is how the Kingdom of God breaks through into the kingdom of the world.
This is shining the Light of Christ in the darkness.
As this was happening it was time to eat. So we sat down. My wife, daughter and I began to pray. I thanked God for the food, for our family, and then I tried to thank him for seeing the Kingdom of God shinning on The Voice. But I couldn't. My words caught in my throat. I tried to push through it and found I could not. I started weeping uncontrollably.
My wife finished the prayer with the thoughts of my heart - thanking God for letting this song bring him glory before the world.
I wept for several minutes.
My daughter laughed at me "Daddy crying." (She's 2. And simply could not understand what was happening to me.)
To be quite honest, I don't know what happened to me. I wasn't sad. I wasn't even happy. It was the glory of the Lord. I caught a glimpse of his glory. Of his fame. Of his Kingdom.
It was just a glimmer and it overwhelmed me.
We are in the Advent season, where believers celebrate the first coming of Christ while eagerly awaiting his Second Coming. At the first advent the Kingdom of God was inaugurated. At the second the Kingdom will be consummated. In between we see moments of the Kingdom of God here on the earth all the time. This was one such moment.
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah , and He will reign forever and ever! - Revelation 11:15
I'm not much of a TV watcher. But I was tired, so I picked up my son, sat on the couch and started tickling him.
Then I saw the Kingdom of God break through on national television.
Craig Wayne Boyd took the stage and sang "The Old Rugged Cross." As I bounced my son on my knee, I found myself slowing down. Then just holding him. Then I clutched him.
I can't quite explain it. The performance was technically wonderful. The orchestra was spot-on. But there was more there. Even more than the passion in Boyd's voice.
Toward the end of the song, I could barely contain my tears. I tried not to talk. And then, after the performance coach Pharrell Williams asked Boyd, "Going through everything that you've gone through to get yourself here at this place, I have a question for you. What does it feel like to be at the top of your game, and to surrender it to God in front of the whole entire world?"
I don't know anything about Craig Wayne Boyd, but that's exactly what he did. He took all his own fame and glory - and he handed it back to God. Back to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is what Christians do. This is how the Kingdom of God breaks through into the kingdom of the world.
This is shining the Light of Christ in the darkness.
As this was happening it was time to eat. So we sat down. My wife, daughter and I began to pray. I thanked God for the food, for our family, and then I tried to thank him for seeing the Kingdom of God shinning on The Voice. But I couldn't. My words caught in my throat. I tried to push through it and found I could not. I started weeping uncontrollably.
My wife finished the prayer with the thoughts of my heart - thanking God for letting this song bring him glory before the world.
I wept for several minutes.
My daughter laughed at me "Daddy crying." (She's 2. And simply could not understand what was happening to me.)
To be quite honest, I don't know what happened to me. I wasn't sad. I wasn't even happy. It was the glory of the Lord. I caught a glimpse of his glory. Of his fame. Of his Kingdom.
It was just a glimmer and it overwhelmed me.
We are in the Advent season, where believers celebrate the first coming of Christ while eagerly awaiting his Second Coming. At the first advent the Kingdom of God was inaugurated. At the second the Kingdom will be consummated. In between we see moments of the Kingdom of God here on the earth all the time. This was one such moment.
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah , and He will reign forever and ever! - Revelation 11:15
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