Today’s message is inspired of, and a wordplay
on, an unlikely source:
“We don’t need another hero,
[we just need to know the way home.”]
— Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
One of the constant temptations on
the Christian journey, especially in this Media-age, where self-promotion’s
narcissism is never too far away (for those brazen enough by personality to go
there), is to big-note the self or take sides—becoming fans of a particular
mega-pastor, politician, civil rights advocate, etc. Like, who’s following who
and who’s missing the point of life?
But we have Christ. We have one
Hero. Do we need another, or a plethora of competing heroes battling for the
mantle; adding to the tsunami of envy.
None can compare to the sinless
Jesus.
The moment we start to entertain
thoughts of heroism, we tempt fate for allocation of the Messiah Complex. We
don’t need another hero.
Why Take Credit?
It may always be a great
difficulty actually glorifying God in our beings, with authenticity, for times
when we’ve done God’s will.
We either miss the opportunity or
we take the credit somehow. We become the hero. Or, just as bad, we put
somebody else (equally imperfect) up on a pedestal they don’t belong on.
A few years ago I had the dubious
pleasure of hosting a night where one mature Christian man kept on talking
about his exploits in Christ, but he was also saying how much more important
were actions than words. But what was he doing? He was selling us a Christ not
the least free of his good self. I found it annoying and hypocritical, yet he
seemed somewhat blind to the fact that others were not in his class in serving
the Lord. I wonder what God truly thinks of this sort of guy. And why would he
need to spruik so much—insecurities, pride, anxiety? Maybe all three, and then
some.
Only ONE Hero Need Apply
There is, and can only be, one hero.
The Father decreed it would be the
Son. And because of the Son we live, and have the Father-begotten Holy Spirit
to journey with us; inside us.
The greatest of us is least of all
and the least among us has rights to true greatness. In this upside-down view
of heroism, nobody wants to be the hero; nobody but Jesus; nobody wants to
suffer like the Hero must suffer. There are no streaming accolades for this
type of hero.
Jesus
never spruiked.
Jesus
never lied.
Jesus was
never hypocritical.
And Jesus never condemned the
humble—only the proud.
***
We don’t need another hero; we
already have Jesus. When we hear Christians speaking about their exploits ‘in
Christ’ let’s be reluctant in our praise of them. Glory is due the True
Hero—there’s only One.
Jesus is
the Way Home.
Let’s trust in him alone.
© 2013 S. J. Wickham.
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