His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden (Habakkuk 3:3b-4).

     Andy Warhol had once remarked that “in the future everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes”. Since the advent of smartphones & social media, Warhol's prediction has become mostly true. At least the potential for stardom is more in reach than ever before. Comparatively, and prior to smartphones, there were a few geeks with the right equipment & dial up internet who vlogged regularly, experimentally, and mimicked reality TV that had mimicked talk show hosts who interview regular people rather than celebrities. Now everyone has a pod, mimicking close-friend conversations. Discussions and friendships are monetized in the last days of 2024 and deemed "good" so long as there are many, many views & many, many likes.

     Perhaps in the future everyone will have 15 minutes of privacy. To be consistently known requires unyielding effort and can be exhausting. Exertions of strength & energy in this fashion isn’t good for the soul. And it’s not just because of the potential for burnout. Appearance of self must be maintained through constant content creation and editing. The meaningful, which is often slow & unproductive, is then neglected. It’s as if the person is a machine, generating content for the sake of fleeting fame. The personality succumbs to the machine & with it privacy, and then with that meaning.

     I remember talking to a kid who was about 15. We were in a pizza joint with a big group of kids and coaches because of a basketball program that taught fundamental skills on & off the court. Like almost everyone this kid’s age, he was obsessed with his phone. We typically call this normal behavior, but for those of us who remember a time before the smartphone, we know better (even if we do succumb to the technological addiction). I asked this young athlete what he wanted to do after high school, expecting him to respond with something like college or the army or a career. In quick certainty he said, like millions of others his age, that he wanted to be a YouTuber, an influencer. And if that didn't work out . . . a cop.

     Well, at least he has a back up plan.

     It's not that I'm necessarily against someone pursuing the YouTube gig. It has, after all, worked out for some who treat it like a full time job. And whether they're liked of not, these YouTubers have figured out how to garner fame and some wealth. But there's always a price to pay for fame, and the price has usually meant something like losing one's soul. The internet is resplendent with stories about celebrities admitting in interviews (like Katy Perry & Bob Dylan) that they sold their souls to be famous. Maybe they're exaggerating or being figurative but I doubt it. Fame has a steep price tag. It'll fill earthly coffers in exchange for heavenly treasures. Boethius, a Philosopher from the 5th century, rightly pointed out that all earthly fame has its limitations. Even the mightiest celebrities cannot be known by all; whereas, God, by His divine nature, can be known by everyone. Money, representing self-sufficiency (because when you’re rich you can do-what-you-want) can never ascertain the same level of self-sufficiency found in the Divine. In reality, God is superior to either pursuit for He fulfills the deep longings of the soul through His expressions of love & power found in Christ, Jesus. Fame and riches can do neither. And when pursued more than God, the soul loses out.

     Oh, and you are your soul . . .

     Maybe, in the future, everyone will experience God’s brilliance for 15 minutes. The prophet Habakkuk poetically tells us that God’s “splendor fills the heavens”. Picture yourself on the vast prairies, looking east. It is early in the morning and the sun is gently dawning over an expanse of fields and farmhouses that dot the scene. Dirt roads crisscross squared off sections of grassland. Peering upward, you notice that there isn’t a cloud in the sky. But as the sun rises a faint star appears in the distance. That’s strange. It’s morning. Stars don’t come out at the rising of the sun. Oddly enough, the radiance of the star grows brighter & it seems that you’re being drawn closer to it rather than it to you. A new sort of brilliance from the star appears, enveloping the sky around you. It’s perceived but differs from the natural elements. And then there’s the feeling of a presence, bigger than the expanse of sky and all that lay before you. It is an awesome power that overwhelms, overwhelms, overwhelms. It is a holy presence & it is the greatest presence that you will ever encounter in your life. Nothing of this world can compare. No sense settling for the meager stars of wealth & fame when the presence of God can leave you truly star struck. Christ is the desire of every heart and the fulfiller of all great desires. Pray often to Him & read the Bible as often as you look down at your phone. It is God’s divinely inspired Word written by many good and humble prophets. “You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19b).

     -Pastor Aaron