All Glory, Laud, and Honor

(Read Matthew 21)

God’s handiwork is abundant everywhere. I first noticed it in all its splendor in southern Utah at Zion National Park. The whole family went west for a National Parks tour. The mountains kissed the sky and filled my entire vision as far as I could see.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Matthew 21:9

More impressive than God’s created landscapes are his works of art through the people He chooses. There are two types of gifted people: those who perform for themselves, and those who perform to give God the glory. I think of all the non-believing artists who achieved a level of fame only to fulfill their own riches and desires. Then, there are those who are a stream for God’s gifts, letting His greatness pour through them. Their talents are simply reflections of God’s majesty.

Around 820 AD, the Bishop of Orleans, Theodulph wrote “All Glory, Laud, and Honor” while imprisoned in France. He was accused of treason for conspiring against King Louis the Pious. Legend says that during a Palm Sunday procession, King Louis passed by the prison and heard Theodulph singing the hymn. Supposedly, the king was so moved that he freed him and made All Glory, Laud, and Honor required singing for all Palm Sundays.

A friend of mine many years ago once told me what he liked about the old hymns is that their focus is on God’s glory. He said that newer songs placed too much emphasis on “me” not “Him.” Right or wrong, his point stuck. There’s no mistake about the message behind Theodulph’s masterpiece.

All glory, laud, and honor
to you, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.
You are the King of Israel
and David’s royal Son,
now in the Lord’s name coming,
the King and Blessed One.

When gifted people display their talents in public it creates a ripple effect. Either people are in awe and praise the performer or they see the gift from God and praise Him. A musician friend of mine is one of those performers who plays her instrument because God gave her the ability and the joy to share her skills with others.

Her fingers skate freely on the white and black keys. Her graceful arms move rhythmically with her unique trademark left elbow flying in the air. She plays scales, quiet, loud, whatever the sheet music calls for. Speaking of written music, if it’s printed in front of her, she can play it. (K) will play alone for her own enjoyment and she’ll play in a spotlight in front of 200 people. The audience doesn’t matter, her joy is coming from giving God the glory. Gifted people enjoy their art because God programmed us to enjoy what He’s given us.

On Christmas Eve, (K) would usually play a solo or duet leading up to the service and, like a James Taylor performance, it would be perfect every time. I feel that people who devote their talents to God are sometimes rewarded with a special sense of calm and clarity. Whether true or not, she has been spot on every single time I’ve heard her play. What’s more impressive is that if she came to church with no sleep or a full night’s sleep, it didn’t matter. She would arrive with the same big smile on her face, wink at whoever was looking at her, and let her fingers do their magic.

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Luke 19

Before you move, you always discover a million things you need to do in order to sell your home. You want to leave your home in the perfect condition for the new owners. Well, we discovered a million and one things. We were giving our tractor to the new owners and needed a push mower for a much smaller lawn, we needed help framing out some doors, we needed a taller ladder to paint our 2-story home, and at the last minute my wife decided she wanted to take the pantry door from our kitchen for sentimental value (the kids’ heights growing up were marked on the inside of the pantry door). We couldn’t find a replacement door that opened the same way, so we needed to custom cut insets for the hinges. Enter our friend (J). (J) retired from a long, successful career in IT for a large financial institution. Not one to sit around or play golf every day, (J) volunteers, everywhere! He serves at his church, he fixes every mechanical problem in our neighborhood, (J) is the go-to guy if you have a problem.

We played tennis together in a mens group on Monday nights and more than the tennis, I looked forward to carpooling with him just for the conversations. We talked big problems, sports, and politics. There was no topic we didn’t discuss. Especially, our faith. Jesus has a huge impact on him and his family. Despite a desire to move to a more exotic location and a smaller home, they brought in his wife’s handicapped sister to live with them more than 20 years ago to care for her. (J) is patient, loving, and human. He gets frustrated but keeps first things first. His first thing is his Savior. Everything he does ends up being for the glory, laud, and honor of Jesus Christ. (J) doesn’t say it, but if you know him, you know.

(J)is blessed with more creative and mechanical gifts than I’ve ever seen before. Woodworking, mechanical items, painting, construction, it doesn’t matter. He spends a lot of his time now caring for the local little league fields. The whole community knows him not for who he is but for what he does. He overhauled an old push mower and gave it to us for our new home. After fixing our new pantry door two days before our move, he also tuned up our bikes. There’s a reason, he will never take a dime for his troubles, he lets his work honor God.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:6-8 (ESV)

During the Renaissance period in Europe which spanned from the 14th century to the 17th century, there were scores of artists who created some of the most beautiful works of art ever seen. Too many to mention, Bellini, Raphael, and Michaelangelo were among those who are the most well known. These artists were paid by the church for their work, but the target of the glory of their work is unmistakable. They were real people with fears, sins, and weaknesses like everyone else. Raphael and Michaelangelo were even rivals.

In 1508 Michaelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine chapel rather leaving it as it was blue with golden stars. Julius originally wanted portraits of the twelve Apostles, but Michelangelo convinced him otherwise. There was a better scene to display. Contrary to popular belief Michaelangelo did not paint the Sistine chapel on his back. He custom made scaffolding and worked standing up, hunched over, and with paint dripping on his face for 4 long years. He wrote about the experience in less than favorable terms. In constant pain and fatigued, he needed to prove that he was every bit the painter that he was a sculptor. No one else knew this.

Most of the great Renaissance artists also created non-religious work but it’s interesting that the well-known masterpieces from that time are ones that give God the glory not the world. In Michaelangelo’s painting in the Sistine chapel, God is portrayed with total majesty and ultimate power. All you have to do is look at what He’s doing. As told in the Bible’s creation story and illustrated by Michaelangelo, God basically started the human race by simply touching Adam’s finger.

Michaelangelo was hugely successful as an artist. He was paid a large sum of money by Julius for his work. Money is temporary. By the time hew was an older man, he was poor. He wrote, “I’m a poor man and of little value, a man who goes along laboring in that art which God has given me for as long as I possibly can.”

God’s handiwork through all His creations is evident to anyone who is paying attention. His perfection is abundant in the beautiful earth He created and equally in the gifts He programmed in us. When we use our gifts, we’re doing more than thanking God, we are praising Him.

To you before your passion
they sang their hymns of praise;
to you, now high exalted,
our melody we raise.
As you received their praises,
accept the prayers we bring,
for you delight in goodness,
O good and gracious King!

Key Application:

1. Who has helped you in your life? Recognize them and be grateful. It’s not about paying people back, but is there anything you can do to make their gift worthy?
2. Read Romans 12. Do your talents bring you attention? If they do, a slight deflection is needed. We are made in God’s image. Our gifts are too. Point them correctly.
3. Pray that you use what God’s given you for His good. Do your gifts lift others, serve others, even to make someone’s day?

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.