We are entering Blue October, the Major League Baseball postseason in Kansas City. Royals fans are familiar with the hashtag #ForeverRoyal ... the mantra of support for the recent resurgence of our team into national prominence. For the Christian, however, #ForeverRoyal has an entirely different meaning.
As a part of our "Culture of Kindness" initiative at HCA this year, I was recently asked to speak in chapel on a Biblical view of courtesy. Beyond a simple definition (the showing of politeness in one's attitude and behavior toward others), I am always interested in the etymology of a word, i.e. where does the word itself come from. It was a pretty simple matter to find that the word comes from Middle English from French from Latin and means "having manners fit for a royal court." From that origin, it is clear the concept of "courtesy" could be summarized as "act like you are royalty."
Interestingly enough, the Bible tells us we are just that ... royalty.
- "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9
- The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ … Romans 8:16-17
- "How great is the love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1
In my continued study on this topic, I came across this article by Dr. Roy Alden Atwood. Dr. Atwood refers to the same passages above to make the case that our children are indeed royalty, just as young Prince George, son of Prince William and Duchess Kate is royalty in great Britain. And just as George's education is designed to prepare him for his role as royalty, the education of our children must be preparing them for the role as "heirs of the King." As Dr. Atwood noted, "the House of Windsor pales in comparison to Jesus’s realm and our divine inheritance! How much more, then, should we, who are heirs of the King of kings and Lord of lords, prepare ourselves and our children to be thoroughly and faithfully educated in everything it means to be a son and daughter of the Creator, Redeemer, and Lord of the Universe. Thoroughly and faithfully educated in everything it means to be royalty."
Atwood continues by observing that "education, even that which purports to be Christian, is now often devoted primarily to the goal of producing good little workers for the secular labor force, efficient widgets for our economy’s production line, and little more. That falls far short of the biblical expectation that Christian children be saturated in the instruction of the Lord and grow up knowing what it means to be royal heirs of Christ the King. An education bearing the name of the King ought, at the least, to offer His royal heirs . . ."
- A comprehensive and integrative understanding of God’s world and of how all things cohere in the Lord Jesus Christ ... in other words, as worldview consistent with Biblical truth, giving "children the “big picture” of how all things, all spheres of creation, are interrelated in the glory of their Creator". (Eph 1:4-11)
- Truly godly and wise teacher-mentors. According to Jesus, the teacher—not the curriculum, not the lesson plan, not the technology, not the facilities, not the accreditation, not the tuition rate—is the single most important factor in a child’s education. (Luke 6:40)
- The shaping of our desires for the things of the Kingdom. Christ did NOT say “Seek first vocational-technical training, and all that kingdom of God and righteousness stuff will be added later.” Rather, he instructs us to seek first the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:32-33)
You are the royal heirs of the King of kings; start acting like it.
Your children are royalty; start treating them like it.
Your children are inheriting a Kingdom; so start educating them for it.
