Looking For A Hero

We all are looking for a Hero, Savior and Redeemer whether we choose to admit it or not! Deep down in, we recognize that we are unable to control all parts of our life to guide it away from failure and toward success. Through this understanding we begin to subconsciously look for a hero, someone who will redeem our situation and be our very own superhero.

Whether someone has done something great to get you out of a pinch or has done something quite noteworthy in the aid of humanity, or just a generally amazing feat; we all as fellow humans tend to dub these risk takers, these individuals who have done amazing things as our heroes.

From Superman to Captain America to Hercules and beyond, this infatuation with superheroes has me intrigued. In ancient times, many were called heroes, but what were they really? Some of the names we may have heard in relation to ancient heroes were Hercules, Ulysses, Odysseus, Atlas, and many others. So who were these “heroes”. Many of these “heroes” were nothing else than either immortalized men who had done great things or mythological gods who engaged in fierce “spiritual” battles against fellow gods and goddesses.

The Greeks and the Romans as well as other cultures were some of the biggest proponents of the idea of heroism. Their thoughts were if someone did something great like win a race, save a nation from disaster, or save an individual or a family; they could be viewed as a hero and the savior would then go through a ceremony to immortalize the “hero” transitioning him/her to be a demigod. They would then believe this “hero” would take its place in the heavens alongside the other reigning gods and goddesses.

In today’s American Culture and in our churches we may not go quite to the extent the Greeks and the Romans did with the ceremonies, the worship, and the belief in the heroes taking their place among the gods or as a god, but the thought process is still very similar.

We tend to hold our modern day heroes on a pedestal and the memory often becomes “immortal”, transitioning from generation to generation. We create mythological heroes, through the industry of media, that seem to rotate in popularity.

Yet, in the church, many times it is difficult for us to remember our true Hero, Savior, and Redeemer and all that He has done for us and will continue to do. Our Hero has taken his place as God for that is what he has always been. No other hero took it upon themselves to first be god and then come to earth to be the hero, savior and redeemer of humanity.

Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, spent his physical body, and blood to rescue you and I from the despair and hopelessness in this world system that continues to fall apart.

Don’t let the heroic superhero craze is a sideshow, a distraction from our true Hero, Savior and Redeemer.