Grace Notes // When We Were Kings Week 1
It Takes a Village
Written by Keli Miller
As I sit down, and begin to reflect on this Sunday’s sermon, I casually turn on the latest Upper Room livestream. I was amused and delighted by God when the first song from their lips is, “Wow, wow, wow, what a king.” What a fitting chorus to kick off our new series in 1 Kings. 1 Kings is centered around Israel's desperate search for a king. Sure they had Yahweh, but other nations had human kings in the flesh, crowns, glory and all. Of course, along with a human king would come a human reign, imperfections and flaws included.
We open the book with David who is now ripe with age. Everyone is standing by to see if David will give up his throne and who will succeed him. David is commonly known as a man after God’s own heart. We know that David loved the Lord, but we also know that he was a murderer and an adulterer. But what do we know about David as a parent? On Sunday, Pastor Chris highlighted verse 6, where we get a glimpse:
His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?”
1 Kings 1:6
In one word you can sum David’s parenting style up, absent. As Pastor Chris cited on Sunday, research has proven that as a parent no matter the level of religious commitment and fervor you carry, there is no guarantee that your child will grow up and have faith of their own. However your lack of either of these things, guarantees that your child will not live by faith.
Now is the point where I have lost all my single readers, stay with me. This is about something more than parenting and disciplining our children. This is about how we need community, we need each other and we need the church. As a parent your faith alone isn’t enough to guarantee your Child’s salvation. Our children need the church, they need spiritual mothers and fathers.
Talking about being immersed in community when we are watching online, at home, alone is hard. It doesn’t feel like we are immersed in a community or a part of something bigger than us. But I want to challenge you to check yourself this season. What’s your body language like? Have you checked out? Have you pulled away and chosen to try it on your own, or, have you leaned forward, and in? The church needs our presence. Our world preaches a message of independence and self sufficiency. Israel bought into the world’s message. They wanted a human king. And as we will discover in the coming weeks, each king fell short. The world’s way does not work. Christ’s message, His gospel, is one of interdependence. It’s a message of co-laboring together to become more like our Creator.
Opting into church isn’t just a personal decision that you will make for yourself. If at the end of the day church is just about you and your walk, then maybe it is expendable. But it’s not, the church is about something much larger. Opting into church is making an investment in the spiritual lives of a community and those who will come after you. Our children( spiritual and biological) need your presence, and they need your voice.
In the Word
1 Kings 1:1-6
Psalm 127
Processing
Who has stood in the gaps for you spiritually?
What role have spiritual mothers/fathers played for you?
How is God asking you to show up right now?
Community can be both beautiful and hurtful. Reflect on your experiences in community, where have you seen God through these experiences?