Greetings,
What a journey Heroes of the Faith has been for me, and I hope for you too. The articles began in 2020, during the first Covid lockdown, with the great reformer and abolitionist William Wilberforce to encourage our constituency with a little more faith, hope and love during a difficult season in our world. Well, one hero inspired another each week, and 115 heroes of the faith have been featured. They have certainly given me a faith-lift and I hope they have you too.
We published the first 50 in a beautifully illustrated book featuring men and women – scientists, doctors, scholars, writers, reformers, preachers, missionaries, abolitionists, and evangelists – with stories of faith, generosity, sacrifice, love and perseverance.
We have begun working on Volume 2 with the remaining heroes of the faith.
One prayer that my wife Killy and I pray daily is, ‘Lord, guide our steps and guide our stops.’ Well, it is time to stop! And I hope you agree that 115 consecutive weeks has felt more than a marathon! So the big question is: who do we conclude with? This series on Christian heroes has made me think about how the idea of heroism applies to you and me, so the final one is on ‘Heroes and Heroism’.
May I encourage you to ‘fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith’ (see Hebrews 12:2).
Grace and peace,
J.John
This series on Christian heroes has made me think about how the idea of heroism applies to you and me. I think that when we use the word hero, even in the Christian context, we can blur two kinds of people. The first are those who we admire as heroes because of their supreme ability: those remarkable scientists, doctors, painters, musicians and athletes who let their skills be guided and guarded by God. Great, but the problem is that most of us don’t have that sort of incredible ability.
The second group of heroes, however, are more relevant. They are those who we do not just admire but who inspire us. They are the ordinary people, like us, who have somehow become extraordinary and become heroes.
But what exactly does it mean to be a Christian hero? Among many definitions, the best is one shaped by Christianity: to be a hero is ‘to do something for others that you don’t have to and which you are aware carries the risk or certainty of loss or pain’. It’s a heroism that runs all the way through the New Testament where it is not just taught by Christ – ‘love your enemies’, ‘turn the other cheek’ – but is modelled by him. Take, for instance, Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV) where Paul writes:
Here we see Christ, the ultimate hero, choosing to come to earth to suffer and die for his people. It should move us all to praise. Yet did you notice the first sentence? ‘Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.’ In other words, Christ is not simply to be the subject of admiration, but inspiration. We who follow him are to be heroes like him.
Now I can hear the protest: ‘I’m no hero!’ But no one is born a hero; they become one by repeatedly choosing to do what is heroic.
So how are we to be heroic? Let’s consider that definition: ‘To do something for others that you don’t have to and which you are aware carries the risk or certainty of loss or pain.’
First, to be heroic is ‘to do something for others’: it involves caring. Christian heroism always has someone or something else as its focus. It is an expression of love, even possibly for those we don’t find lovely. It is to aid someone, to stand up for what is right, or even to save something of value. Sometimes, too, heroism is not so much a matter of doing, but of not doing something. After all, it can be heroic to refuse to take an action that is wrong. Here, of course, Christ sets the ultimate example.
Second, to be heroic is to do something ‘you don’t have to do’: it involves choosing. Christian heroism is about getting involved. Although it’s always a temptation to tiptoe away from a difficulty or problem, involvement or intervention is essential for heroism. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), the Samaritan could easily have ridden on but instead stopped to get involved. Christ chose to come to save us: ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost’ (Luke 19:10 NLT).
Third, to be heroic is to do something that ‘carries the risk or certainty of loss or pain’: it involves considering. The most praiseworthy heroism always involves a weighing-up of the price involved. That price may be paid in different ways. It may be physical: think of a church-worker in some dangerous estate. It may be psychological: perhaps of a PA who decides to challenge the unethical behaviour of the boss. It may be financial: imagine someone who gives up a well-paid job to work with a church or charity. It may be social: perhaps an individual who, for whatever reason, chooses celibacy or singleness. There may even be a price in terms of honour: in Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) the father heroically takes on shame in showing love to the lost son. It’s worth remembering, too, that in this world most heroism goes unremembered. Not everybody gets a medal.
Every Christian should be prepared to be heroic. But it’s a hard command. For all sorts of reasons, many people today are unheroic or – let’s use a polite term – ‘risk averse’. So let me give you four encouragements to heroism.
1) Consider the fact that you’re going to die sometime. Between now and then why not pack in some venture worthy of the life God has given you?
2) Think of what God is calling you to do as an opportunity to be a hero. Do you really want to turn it down?
3) Don’t worry about exactly what you might achieve. God is more concerned about your aspirations than your accomplishments. Remember how Jesus praised the woman in the temple who gave away the tiny amount of money that she had (Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4). Just do it!
4) Remember that while this world may not note what you do, God does and will. Better to have his praise in heaven than have any amount of praise on earth.
Ultimately, to be heroic is simply to listen to what Christ commands us to do and then do it. The road to being a hero is to take heroic actions, one step at a time.
J.John
Reverend Canon
