Thought for Today
Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days-- and also afterward-- when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.
2 Samuel 23:1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:
Matthew 13:57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house."
Luke 14:7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable.
Who are your heroes? To whom would you assign the places of honor at your banquets? To the warriors of renown? To the Strong One of your nation? To prophets or teachers? As a young boy, my heroes were Roy Rogers, John Wayne and the Bible characters of the Old Testament like Moses, Joshua and David.
Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Both the local and national television news we watch had special coverage of the various events honoring the brave men who stormed the Normandy beaches and of the naval and air forces who transported and supported them. Having been born during WWII and growing up during the Korean War, I have always been fascinated by those conflicts and especially by the impact on the lives of the people involved. During my first job following college, I worked with veterans of WWII. In our engineering department we had veterans of the Navy, the Marine Corps and even a former Army paratrooper. During my second job, I knew other veterans of WWII and even a Korean War Marine. I still remember how surprised I was when I heard of their wartime experience, because they seemed to be ordinary folks, just like me. None of them ‘looked’ like heroes.
Ultimately, during my engineering career, I worked for and with veterans of every conflict in which the U.S.A. was involved. I had several Viet Nam veterans who worked with or for me, including a Navy Corpsman who served with the Marine Corps. And they all seemed to be ordinary folks, just like me. None of them ‘looked’ like heroes.
I wonder whether those “the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown” looked just like ordinary folks, just like most of us. Can we identify the true heroes of our lives by their outward visage? A hero is defined as “a person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great (dictionary.cambridge.org).” Do brave people or achievers of something great look any different from us ordinary folks?
I do not know whether or not Roy Rogers or John Wayne were brave. I have no personal knowledge of Moses, Joshua or David, despite my age. I do know that all of those veterans of all those wars were brave. I also know that many of the ordinary people I have known are equally brave and have done great things. The older I get, the more my own maternal grandfather has become a hero to me. He was never in the military. He was never a professor or scientist, never invented anything. My grandfather was a stationary engineer who went off to work each morning wearing khakis and carrying a lunch pail. He came home every evening. On the weekends he washed and polished his car, mowed the lawn and listened to baseball games on the radio. Every Sunday he went to church.
I called him Pop; and, Pop was and is my hero. He taught me how to bait a hook, how to ride a bike, and what it means to be a husband, a father, a child of God. From him and from my father I learned my work ethic and my sense of responsibility. I have done my best to pass that down to my own children who have now passed it down to their children.
As a Christian, I believe being a hero is more than military bravery. As a Christian, I view Jesus as a hero. I have numerous heroes, including Greta who has been a faithful wife and mother. When I watch these newscasts and the very deserved coverage of those brave men who stormed the beaches of Normandy, I also remember the words of the hymn I Sing a Song of the Saints of God, “I sing a song of the saints of God, faithful their whole lives through, who bravely labored, lived and died for the God they loved and knew./They loved their God and they lived that love. It was loving that made them strong. They did what was right, for Jesus’ sake, lived justly their whole lives long.”
Stay safe, labor bravely for Jesus’ sake, trust God,
Pastor Ray