Hero Quest: Powered by Faith
July 25, 2004
Rose McLean, Diaconal Minister

Do you have a hero? Is there someone from your childhood—maybe a teacher or coach or grandparent who you always admired? In the spring session of Monday Morning Women we usually use the adult curriculum for whatever the Vacation Bible School theme will be. At the first class I asked the women to name two heroes: one from their own life and one that was more historical or perhaps even fictional. I was surprised at how many women named Ernest Shackleton. Others named Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln.

No one named Spiderman or Superman, although I once had my bathroom decorated in Superman paraphernalia. You would be surprised what you could find when you started looking. My two personal favorites were "the Gospel According to Superman" and some Superman chocolates. I’ll leave it to you to guess which of those I actually appreciated the most. But I digress.

The other notable response was how many of the women named their grandmothers when we named someone we knew personally. There were also some who named David and Aleen Fison. Who are your heroes? And what characteristics make them a hero?

"Heroes, Powered by Faith" was the theme for Vacation Bible School and DayCamp this week. We studied five heroes from the scriptures. We learned that God’s presence and the trust a person has in God becomes the power that makes an ordinary person a hero. With the help of God, we can all be heroes.

Our first hero was Daniel. And the characteristic we identified with him was his strength. Not his physical strength, although the way he is described in the scripture makes it seem that he was rather buff. But it was his strength of will to be faithful to his religious practices in the face of death that made him a hero.

You remember the story. Daniel was living in Babylon as an exile and even though he was a foreigner, he had gained the favor of the King and was given authority. This made the locals jealous and they plotted for a way to get rid of him. They knew that he would pray three times a day regardless of the edict that no one should pray except to the King. He was caught in the act of being faithful to God and was thrown in the lion’s den as punishment. But the story goes that God sent an angel to shut the lion’s mouth and when the King went to check on him the next day, Daniel was alive and well. The king then made a decree that everyone should recognize that the God of Daniel is the living God.

I believe that Daniel’s strength was a result of prayer. How is your prayer life? Do you pray together as a family? Have you ever been caught in the act of being faithful? Do you pray when you are at a restaurant? Do you pray as you are driving for the person who cut you off or perhaps if you see a homeless person on the street? Maybe if we were intentional about praying at least three times a day as Daniel did, we would be stronger in our faith.

Our second hero was Esther. The brief account of this rather long complicated story is that after the King fired his wife Vashti for refusing to come to his party, he had what amounted to a Miss Babylon contest to choose a new queen. The scripture says nothing about a swimsuit competition, but it was definitely a beauty contest and Esther won. It was a secret that she was a Jewess. Again in this story, jealousy, arrogance and racism are leading characters. Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, refused to bow down to Haman, who was a member of the king’s court and it made Haman so darn mad that not only did he finagle the king to pass a law that all the Jews would be killed on a particular day, he also decided on the advice of his wife to have a gallows built and hang Mordecai.

Esther knew she had to save her people and even though it was against the law to go to the king without an invitation, she risked her life by doing so. She created a clever plan where she could save her people and expose Haman for the evil man that he was. Esther had courage. She recognized evil and had the courage to stand up for what was right.

Do you recognize evil when you see it? Do you recognize injustice? During Jurisdictional Conference when we were electing bishops for our denomination it became clear that the other jurisdictions were primarily sticking with the traditional white male candidates. I don’t think it was because there were not some women or ethnic persons who were qualified to be bishop. I hate to think that racism is alive and well in our denomination, but I also hate to think that only white men are qualified to be bishop outside the Western Jurisdiction. I am thankful that we elected a Japanese American man and a Hispanic woman and that some of the other jurisdictions finally reflected more diversity in their elections.

The third hero was actually a group of persons. It was the four men who were determined that their paralyzed friend would have a chance to experience Jesus’ healing touch. The scene was Capernaum where Jesus had returned home. There were so many people gathered in the house and the doorway that no one else could get in. That was the situation when these four men approached the house. But they were not to be deterred from their goal. They were determined. They simply went up on the roof, dug a hole through the thatch and lowered their friend. All they wanted was for their friend to have a chance to be healed. Little did they know that they were providing a teaching moment for Jesus.

As soon as Jesus saw the faith of the friends, he said to the paralytic, "your sins are forgiven." This made the scribes and doubters so darn mad. Who did Jesus think he was to forgive sins? Did he think he was God? Precisely. Jesus sensed their criticism and said, "What do you think? Would it be easier to say ‘your sins are forgiven’ or ‘stand up and take up your mat and walk?’" So he said to the paralytic, "Stand up and take up your mat and walk" And he did. The people were saying to one another, "We have never seen anything like this!" Just think, none of this would have happened if those friends had not been determined. Do you give up easily? Are you easily deterred? The characteristic of a hero is to be determined.

Our fourth hero is an unlikely one. The story is called "The Widow’s Offering". You know the story—it is really more an observation by Jesus than a story. He was in the temple and noticed the rich people putting their gifts into the treasury and then saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He observed that she gave more than anyone else since she gave out of her poverty and they had given out of abundance. It was a daring thing for her to do. By giving all she had, she had to have faith that God would provide for her. I can think of at least four widows who give way more to the church and to mission, than others who are in a better financial position. I recall one woman who would call me from time to time to say she had an unexpected baby-sitting job and wanted to tithe that money to some youth project. Another I know volunteers many hours and wants to do more because she cannot afford to give more financially—and she is already giving 10% of her income. And a third who had not been well enough to make anything for a bake sale, gave $20 from her meager grocery allowance. Contrast this with the young girl who told me once in Confirmation, "we talked about tithing in our family like you asked us to, but my parents make WAY TOO MUCH MONEY for us to give 10% of it to the church and charity."

Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, and she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on." A characteristic of a hero is daring generosity or sacrificial giving. Are you giving enough so as not to embarrass yourself?

The final story is Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. The scene is before the Passover meal and as they are gathered, Jesus takes on the role of a servant: wrapping a towel around his waist, picking up a basin of water and proceeding to wash their feet. As he approached Peter, Peter was highly indignant declaring that Jesus would never wash his feet—the very idea was repugnant to him. Jesus simply responded, "Peter, if you don’t allow me to wash your feet, you will have no part of me." At which point, Peter declares, "Lord, not only my feet but my hands and head also." Jesus wanted to teach by action that to be a follower meant to take of the role of a servant. This was a way to show his love for his friends. Jesus is a hero because he showed ultimate love for everyone. He showed his love through being a servant and being completely obedient to God’s will. And Jesus calls us to follow him.

These were the Bible stories for this past week. Daniel was strong in his faith. Esther was courageous and saved her people. The four men were determined to help their friend find healing. The widow practiced sacrificial giving. Jesus loved and served others.

There is a hero within your being. May you be powered by faith to be that hero for Christ. Amen.

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Copyright © 1998-2004 Jon S. Dawson.  Last modified: February 01, 2009

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