All Saints Day November 4-5, 2023
“We All Need Heroes” Hebrews 11:1-6
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
Last weekend I was in the St. Paul, Minnesota suburb of Cottage Grove. My granddaughter was confirmed last Sunday and I wanted to be there with her and her family for that special event. I also needed to get away from the 10 inches of snow that came to Denver.
I spent some of my time doing dishes for this family of 5 kids and 2 parents and grandma and grandpa. Above their sink was a wonderful picture of a young boy. It wasn’t a picture of any of our family but a young boy named Harrison Green. And then I read this, “4 years, 7 months & 22 days”. That is all the days that he got to live on this earth. Then his parents, Charles and Heather, and his brother, Jackson, wrote words of gratitude to those who helped their son, and helped them, during their difficult days of losing Harrison.
I asked my son, Dave, about that picture. Dave was pastor at Harrison’s church. He visited him often and spent much time with the family. Though the death of that boy was about 10 years ago it still leaves an impact on him. He sees his picture every day and remembers his life and his death.
But that isn’t all that I want to tell you about Harrison. Harrison had a nickname. He needed it. It was “Superman”. Harrison “Superman” Green. Harrison was born with a heart defect. And though he received great care for his 4 years, 7 months and 22 days, eventually that defect took his life. But he must have been courageous. That’s why you give your son the name “Superman”.
We all need heroes. We need someone that we look up to. We need someone whom we consider a model, an example of strength and character, someone who makes us courageous. I bet you have someone in your life that serves you in that way. Sometimes we put pictures on our walls of folks who are our heroes. A family member. A friend. I have one on my phone. It is a picture of me with my dad a few weeks before he died.
But sometimes our heroes let us down. We find out that they are too human. We thought they were better than they actually were. Within the last decade or so, statues of people who were once heroes in some war, or some battle, have been taken down, names that were on a library or a museum or a mountain have been erased.
But I still say that we all need heroes. Especially on this All Saints Day we need heroes. Hebrews 11 is called “The heroes of faith” chapter in the Bible. It begins, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. That is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1-2)
Your heroes, and mine, are not folks who never failed, who never sinned, who never struggled. They weren’t folks who always had the right answer for everything. No. In fact, it is their struggles and challenges and weaknesses that can make them a greater hero to us. They got their hands dirty and took the wrong road on occasion. But a hero has faith. That is what they were commended for. They had faith in their God. They looked to Him for His mercy.
Have you read Hebrews 11 lately? It might be a good chapter to read. Abraham finds his name in this wall of heroes. But Abraham, to save himself, almost got Sarah, his wife, into serious trouble, when he tried to pass her off as his sister. She could have become the property of another man. Or how about Jacob? He lied to his father, Isaac, and took the inheritance from his older brother, Esau, but he is listed here. And a prostitute, Rahab, is mentioned, in glowing terms in this chapter! What??
What do they all have in common? Faith. “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who made the promise.” (Hebrews 11:11) “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” (Hebrews 11:21) “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” (Hebrews 11:31)
We all need heroes. Real heroes. We need those who have lived life and understand that faith in God forms the very foundation in life. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
All Saints Day is not a day for us to worship the saints, the heroes. That was the problem that Martin Luther had in 1517 and how the saints were venerated in those days. People prayed to saints as if the saints had an “in” with God. Though we don’t look at saints in this way we do recognize that they are important in our lives. Some of the Lutheran writings mention that there are three reasons why it is helpful for us to remember the saints of God:
- To give thanks to God for them.
- That our faith would be strengthened by their example.
- That we would be moved to follow their example of faith and virtue. (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, 21)
We need heroes, but not heroes who want to be recognized for what they do, but saints who proudly proclaim what God has done for them in Jesus Christ. Following the listing of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 we read the opening verses of chapter 12. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Verses 1-3)
Heroes, true heroes, know that they are not the answer to the problems that we all have with our sin and our heart and our soul, but they know that Jesus is. All these heroes lived with a faith, a trust, a focus on Jesus. Jesus fought for your soul. You know that, right? You know that He brought you to His side when He freely offered His own life for yours. Did He only give His life then or does He continue to give His life for you now? His actions weren’t just years ago. He is actively involved in your life, in your salvation, in your struggles even today, right now.
We all need heroes and most especially we need a hero. Jesus. Jesus is much more than simply a model to live by – an example of strength and courage. He is Savior. In Genesis 3 the very first promise that God was going to send an answer to the lies that the devil had brought into this world was given. He promised the Messiah – the anointed one. God spoke to the devil and said, “ You will strike his heel but he will crush your head.” (See Genesis 3:14-15) In Revelation 1, John meets Jesus, exalted in heaven. “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18) Jesus is a hero but He is much more than that.
I have a tee shirt with a whole panorama of Superheroes on it. The Hulk and Superman are there. The Green Lantern and some of the Avengers. Of course, Batman. And you have Spiderman, upside down, being held securing by his spiderweb. But in the middle of my tee shirt is Jesus. He is speaking to all the Superheroes and says, “And that’s how I saved the world.”
We all need heroes. We need those who live life well and show us how to stand tall even when life is hard. We need people who show us the path we should take. I hope you are blessed by having many heroes in your life. But most especially we “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith.” God’s greatest hero of all. Amen!!
