Right before the new year, one of the titles of the weekly church email was “Ready, Set… FAST!” I think we’re definitely off to a running start for 2023, fasting and all. I had a chance to be part of the kickoff celebration with MLCF on January 1st, and it was an amazing way to ring in the new year.
Our theme for 2023 is “Kingdom Parenting.” As we talk about parenting this year, I think it’s important to clarify what we mean when we talk about Kingdom parenting. In some ways, it’s similar to earthly parenting, but in other ways, it’s very different.
For differences, the first important difference between earthly and kingdom parenting is that kingdom parenting isn’t about having physical children. The greatest father who lived on earth was Jesus, and he had no physical children of his own. But through his parenting he raised up a small group of people who changed the world with the message of Jesus. The second important difference is that kingdom parenting isn’t about being a physical parent. While it’s wonderful to have so many parents of young children at Lifespring, many of us won’t necessarily relate to the idea of physically being a parent. It may even be a difficult and painful topic for some of us. For that reason, it’s important that we’re on the same page about what kingdom parenting is.
One good image of a kingdom parent is Stephen from Acts 6. We don’t know much about Stephen–we don’t have his history, or know if he was a parent himself. But what Acts 6:1-7 shows is an amazing picture of a kingdom parent that relates well to where Lifespring is headed this year.
Flipping back a chapter, there are two stories in Acts 5 about the growth of the church in the time after Jesus’s resurrection. First is the story of Ananias and Sapphira, where they both drop dead in front of Peter because of their dishonesty about their giving to the church. Second, the apostles are thrown into prison, but an angel comes and opens the prison doors and lets them out. When we compare this pair of stories to Acts 6:1-7, Stephen’s work almost seems mundane. The food is not being distributed fairly, so the disciples decide to put Stephen and six other men in charge of the issue, and they take care of it well. It’s one of the most normal, nearly unimpressive stories in Acts.
But this is similar to kingdom parenting. Kingdom parenting is one of the most normal, regular actions. It’s simply about reaching out and caring for others. It can be as simple as deciding to build a deeper and more spiritual relationship with a friend, or deciding to reach out to someone who may be feeling alone. But these small actions, filled with the Holy Spirit, can make all the difference in the world for that person.
Second, notice who Stephen is helping. Stephen is helping the widows in the early church. During the time of Acts, widows were people who needed help with being cared for. Stephen was caring for those in the church who needed some extra attention because of their circumstances. What we can learn about kingdom parenting is that often, we are called to care for those who need some extra attention. Back in May, we did mother’s day hampers for moms in the Willowdale area, and some of these were single moms. I’m sure there are also people in your own life who may need extra care, whether it’s people facing challenges, going through difficult circumstances, or just needing a genuine friend. Kingdom parenting is about showing extra care and concern for those who may benefit from it.
Lastly, look at the way that Stephen and the six care for the people. This issue they were dealing with was with the daily food service (v. 1). It primarily had to do with serving tables (v. 2). The team was asked to simply take care of the issue, and make sure it was done well (v. 3). Kingdom parenting is certainly about caring for people, but it’s also about caring for things. Some of us, even in our 9-5 work, have been put in positions where we are responsible for taking care of projects and tasks that affect the quality of people’s lives. God has put us in positions of leadership and governance to administer things that truly affect people. When God gives us the privilege to serve in this way, we are to do it like a kingdom parent. We are to care for and nurture these projects, ministries, and issues in a way that demonstrate the best of what a kingdom parent is. Like Stephen’s ministry, how well we take care of these projects will have a huge impact on many people.
As we get off to a running start in 2023, I pray that God would teach us all more about kingdom parenting and caring for others, together as a Lifespring family.