Everyday Heroes
Bible Text: Jeremiah 18:1-12 and Luke 14:25 – 33 | Preacher: Speaker: Jan Clapp
When you hear the word hero, what comes to mind? Perhaps it is a favourite movie start, or an admired influence in your life. Or maybe you immediately thought of a fantasy hero like Superman or Spiderman.
The next question is: so what is a hero anyway? Interestingly, when I googled hero, it said “A hero is a person, typically a man who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities”.
Well, we know that heroes are not restricted to only men!! At our last SENS game there was a young boy sitting beside me and I said to him, “do you have a hero ?” His reply “Yes I do!” I was expecting him to say superman! But he replied with a point of his finger to the man beside him. So I said “Is that your father?” “Yes” he said, “It is”
So I told the father what his son had just said and I said to the Dad “You must be doing something right! And just maybe you should write this down and show it to him when he is 15 and maybe not thinking of you as his hero!”
Another day I asked a ten year old boy who his hero was and without any hesitation he said “Jesus!” Pretty amazing!! So what is a hero anyway? I think when we are talking hero or heroine, we usually are referring to a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for brave deeds and noble qualities or who has performed a heroic act like saving a drowning child. I think we have so many examples of heroes and I would suggest that there is a common denominator among all heroes. They appear safe, they meet our expectations, they capture our attention, and they encourage us. So I believe they are a real influence in the lives of everyone in one way or another. If you listen to a person long enough you can even tell who their hero or heroes might be. We’ve all had people in our lives that have made a positive impact on our lives. Maybe it was a grandparent, or parent, an uncle or an aunt; maybe a teacher or a coach; maybe even someone you saw shining shoes for a living. So when you think of a hero, who do you think of? A firefighter? A police Officer? Or someone like superman with a cape? The truth is that heroes do come in all forms, shapes and sizes. They can be men, women or children; Rich or poor, old or young. In fact some of the most heroic acts in the world have actually been performed by kids. And what about all those men and women who served in the wars? What about those who travel to impoverished countries to help improve food production and health? What about the wishes that are granted to children who have terminal diseases? What about foster parents who take in children and give them a good life? What about those volunteers who provide transportation to those who are in need of treatment for cancer? What about those who are involved in educating young girls in Kenya? What about those who are committed to protecting our environment?
So I think that there definitely is a common denominator among all heroes. They appear safe, unbeatable and eternal. They achieve our dreams, meet our expectations and build our faith. They capture our attention, set our focus in life and encourage us to never give up. Heroes are a real influence in the lives of everyone in one way or another. So who is your hero? Who would you say is the hero of all time? Kind David wrote: “I will exalt you my God the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever.” (Psalm 145:1,2) The Lord is Gracious and Compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all. He has compassion on all he has made. So the New Testament tells us that Jesus is the hero of all times. He is the hero that is safe, undefeatable and eternal. The first attraction of a hero is that he has the ability to keep you safe. Jesus is that Hero! For in the book of Revelation we read that he is the one who will return riding upon a white horse. His name is faithful and true.
Jesus is the Hero who realistically meets our needs and expectations. Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us. To Him be glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations forever and ever.” And we know the bible teaches that Jesus has power and demons. He healed the sick and raised the dead.
It does not matter if your heroes are fantasy or real people. Fantasy heroes do not really exist and they make no difference in the reality of our living. We can admire our sport heroes, movie starts and people of influence from a distance but we cannot have a meaningful relationship with them.
But Jesus is the hero of all time. He is the one we can connect with on a daily basis. He knows the deepest thoughts in our hearts. He is the redemption and salvation. He promises to keep us safe and care for us. He won’t be defeated. His oversight for our soul is eternal. Someone once said “Be careful who you choose as your hero. You put all your hope and all your dreams and all your ideas about stuff into one human being. They are a human being. They are going to let your down.” Jesus is the only character who has the nature of a realistic hero and who will never let us down. He will meet all our expectations. Even behind the scenes there are people doing amazing things to help other people. As we know, Jesus, as that young boy said, is the true superhero. He never made a mistake. He knows all things, created all things and has authority and power over all things. Jesus never possessed a spirit of fear. His faith was so strong that is allowed Him to wilfully submit to the plan of God. He was even tempered, though he displayed righteous anger for the misuse of God’s House. He never possessed selfish fleshly anger. I think he is a Hero because of his powerful words. His very words still cause peoples’ hear to change.
I love this quote by John Wesley: “Do all the good you can; by all the means you can; in all the places you can’ as long as you can. Be a Hero!
The Catholic School Board has an award for Unsung Heroes – an award for special contribution. And it says you have made a difference in the lives of those around you and you have put others ahead of yourselves in many circumstances. Everyone has inside him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be. How much you can love, what you can accomplish and what your potential is. So go from this place praising God who sends us into the world to proclaim the gospel and to work for justice, tolerance, equality, freedom, humanity and peace. Be a Hero. May the Grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you in your work. May God’s love and the Holy Spirits friendship be yours. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord.
Amen