Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Summer Heroes


Tonight I received a Facebook posting from a young friend that went like this, “We need a hero to save us from ourselves. We need a hero to save us from our fear”. My response was that “JFK once said, we have nothing to fear but fear itself, as for a hero to save us from ourselves, He died and rose again for just that reason about 2000 years ago.” I was then notified that what was written were song lyrics by Jars of Clay, from a song titled Hero. This started me thinking, (dangerous) who are our heroes?

In the world today there are sports heroes. We have all seen war heroes. There are heroes of all kinds out there, based on what someone has done, their accomplishments. As I go back to my trusty dictionary I find the word hero defined as “a person noted or admired for notability, courage, outstanding achievements, a great warrior, a man of superhuman qualities, favored by the gods.”

What are great accomplishments? Accomplishments inspired by the Word of God. In the book of the prophet Isaiah it says, “so is My Word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”. Now we have a hero whose extraordinary accomplishments are inspired by God.

In my life time I have had the opportunity to experience many heroes, but one who you may not be aware of is Edwin Moses. It was this great warriors, courage, outstanding achievements, notability, superhuman qualities, and favor with the one true God, which cause me to clearly see him as a hero. Reverend Moses was the pastor of the United Methodist church in Biloxi, Mississippi, during and after the disaster known as hurricane Katrina. Not only did he help provide for the needs of his flock, but he also brought in hundreds of volunteers, from all over America to assist in the reconstruction of his community. With every group of volunteers that arrived in Biloxi, Rev. Moses would share the history of his community, the love it contained, his heart, and the Word of God. I believe Rev. Moses knew (that in the long run) what he was doing for the young men and women who came to Biloxi, would far exceed anything they could do for him or the community. The picture I have included is of one of two mission groups which I worked with, and Rev. Moses. In the gospel of Matthew it says, “store up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Edwin Moses was a hero who stored up treasure.

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