Woodbury Presbyterian Church

God’s Love in ACTION

“How to Be a Super Hero”

Acts 2:41-47, Isaiah 61:1-11=

November 12, 2006

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What would= you do if you had super powers? Suppose you were faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bo= und. What would you do with those powers? I know what some of the guys thought of immediately. X-Ray vision!

But that zeroes = in on the question I’m trying to ask. Would you use your powers for good or evil? Would you be like Spiderman or the Green Goblin? = Batman or Mr. Freeze? Storm or Mystique? Superman or General Zod? W= ould you be a super hero or a super villain? I believe you’d be a super hero or heroine.

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But what m= akes someone a hero? What do heroes and heroines do? Why, they help people in ne= ed, of course. When Lois Lane<= /st1:address> is in a plane that’s spinning round and round and plummeting to the ground, Superman swoops in, sweeps up the aircraft and saves his sweetie’s life. When Gotham City is swarming wi= th remote controlled, rocket armed penguins, Batman comes speeding through the sewers in the Batskiboat. = He arrives at the chief Penguin’s lair just in time and, Zap! Boom! Bang= ! jams the radio signal, setting the city free. When a g= ang of greasy thugs snatches the purse of a poor hobbling grandma, Wonder Woman appears out of nowhere, deflecting bullets with her golden bracelets, to restore the poor woman’s fortunes put those hooligans in the hoosegow. When Pearl Pureheart is tied to the railroad tr= ack by the dastardly Oil Can Harry, and the train is barreling toward her, Mighty Mouse will always say, “Here I come to save the day!” Then with= his head down and his stiff arm extended, he’ll rush the heaving engine a= nd bring the iron horse to a screeching halt. Heroes and heroines help people = in need.

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But of course, p= eople have all kinds of needs, don’t they? Not many people need to be snatc= hed from the railroad track or rescued from penguins of mass destruction. But people have other needs.

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Abraham Maslow, = who is sort of the Captain America of world-famous Psychologists, identified five types or levels of needs that people have.

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First they h= ave physical needs for food, water, shelter, clothing and so on.

Second they = need safety and security, a sense that they’ll have food, water, shelter and clot= hing tomorrow and in the future. He calls these psychological needs.<= /span>

Third, peopl= e have social needs. Everybody needs a friend, a family, a group. Everybody longs = to belong.

Fourth is th= e need for esteem, confidence, respect.

And ultimate= ly, people have a need for what Maslow calls “Self Actualization.̶= 1; This is the need to be creative, moral, spontaneous. We could call these spiritual needs.

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Maslow says the lower needs are more urgent. You have to build the pyramid from the bottom up. Worry about today’s food before tomorr= ow’s. Build friendships before you work on self-esteem.

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I’m not so sure he’s right about that. I think we can take a birds-eye-view of the pyramid. Then we see that our spi= ritual needs are really our core values, and our physiological needs become more peripheral. We can love our families more than food, or care more about our integrity than fitting in with the right crowd.

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This fits with w= hat Jesus said. “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4) Our spiritual needs are at least as important as our bodily needs. As a matter = of fact, in the long run, they’re more important. Someday our bodies will die, but our spirits will live on.

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Nevertheless, Ma= slow nails it when he says that human beings have many kinds of needs. And people who meet any of those needs can heroes.

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You can be a her= o just by sharing your lunch with somebody, meeting a physical need; or making a n= ew friend, meeting a social need; or giving another person a sincere complimen= t, helping meet the need for respect and self-esteem.

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That’s pro= vided, of course, that you don’t do it out of purely selfish motives. If you sell someone your sandwich you’ve fed him or her, but that doesn̵= 7;t make you a hero. It makes you a merchant. That isn’t bad, it just isn’t heroic. If you constantly tell the boss how smart and competent= she is, hoping that you’ll get a raise or a promotion, you might be meeti= ng that person’s need for self-esteem, but that doesn’t make you a hero. I think the word is … “apple polisher.”<= /span>

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I read an articl= e on the web this week about six words that can make you rich. “Find a need and fill it.” That’s what Bill Gates did. That’s what Lar= ry and Sergey, the Google guys did. That’s what Henry Ford did. ThatR= 17;s the key to starting or expanding a successful business. “Find a need = and fill it.” The obvious premise is that if you supply people with somet= hing they need, they’ll pay you for it. That’s meeting a need, but it isn’t heroism.

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The advertising industry takes that mantra and tweaks it just a little bit. “Creat= e a need and fill it.” The advertiser’s job is to make people thi= nk they need a certain product, feel like they need that product – wheth= er it’s a real necessity or not. Then make a fortune by providing that product for a price. Again, that isn’t what we mean by heroism.<= /o:p>

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Heroes and heroi= nes are unselfish. If people are meeting needs only for what they can get out of it, we usually don’t think of them as heroes.

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Acts 2:45 tells = us that members of the early church sold their possessions and goods and gave to anyone as he had need. They selflessly met people’s needs. That makes them heroes.

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Further, we usua= lly think of heroes and heroines as being courageous. They take risks. They mig= ht get hurt. They might loose something. Their acts of heroism could cost them. “Cowardly hero” is a contradiction in terms.<= /p>

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One of my favori= te American heroines died late last year: Rosa Parks. I once heard someone say, “= This country needs more people like Rosa Park= s, who’ll stand up for what they believe!”

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Um, sort of. On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery Alabama, Rosa was riding a public bus. When a white man got on board, the driver ordered = Rosa, an African American, to give up her seat so t= he white man wouldn’t have to sit near her. Rosa<= /st1:place> refused. That was against the law in those days. They threw Rosa in jail, and her arrest became the catalyst of the Civil Rights movement. S= ome bad laws were changed, and we all became more free. Rosa Parks didn’t stand up for what she believed. She stayed seated. But that showed great courage. Heroic courage.<= /span>

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You know, we hav= e some heroes and heroines in the room today. We have some men and women who selflessly risked their lives to help preserve our freedoms. Yesterday was Veteran’s Day. So I’d like our veterans to stand up for just a moment so we can thank you and honor you. Thank you.

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But wait a minut= e. Aren’t we supposed to be talking about super heroes? These peo= ple are heroes, and they’re certainly super. But we’re supposed to = be talking about heroes and heroines with supernatural powers. I wonder if we = have any of those in the room.

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As a matter of f= act, I happen to know that we do. There are people here today who have superpowers, and they use them to meet people’s needs. Nearly everyone in this roo= m is a superhero. You’re a superhero! You have superpowers!<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> And you thought you were just a mild-mannered Presbyterian! Let me explain what I mean.

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You remember that Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8) So if you’ve received the Holy Spirit, you’ve received supernatural power.

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And remember what Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, and about all who receive the = Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,<= /o:p>

because= the LORD has anointed me

to prea= ch good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proc= laim freedom for the captives

and rel= ease from darkness for the prisoners, &nbs= p;

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor =

and the= day of vengeance of our God,

to comf= ort all who mourn … (Isaiah 61:1-2) Supernatural powers to meet people’s needs.<= /span>

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Again, you remem= ber that Paul told the Corinthians; Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. <= /i>(I Corinthians 12:7) Every Christian has received a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, a spiritual gift. Supernatural powers to meet p= eople’s needs.

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    Some of those gifts are extraordinary, like healing or speaking in tongues. We talked about those miraculous gifts in the sermon two weeks ago. Other gifts strike us as more common, more ordinary. Administration. Hospitality. Generosity. Th= ese seem to be things that anyone could do. If I asked you to heal someone you might= not be able to do it if you don’t have that gift, but if I asked you to welcome someone into your home, that would at least be theoretically possib= le. If I asked you to speak in tongues right now that might be impossible for s= ome of you if you don’t have that gift, but if I asked you to give money = to someone in need, well that could happen.

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    But it needs to be str= essed that those “ordinary” gifts are no less miraculous than the one= s we call “extraordinary.” When we use our gifts, when we employ our powers in the service of Jesus, He does miraculous things through them.

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     For the last few Sunday’s I’ve kept coming back to that story about Jesus feeding more than 5,000 people. You remember how it goes. A crowd has come to hear Jesus preach. Jesus preaches all day long, and the crowd starts to get hung= ry. Ever notice how a long sermon can make your stomach growl? But when suppert= ime rolls around, no one has any food except one boy. He has five small loaves = of bread – more like dinner rolls – and two small fish. Maybe a little more than he needs for just himself, but not e= nough to share with a mob of ravenous church-goers.

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     Nevertheless the= boy gives Jesus what he has. It isn’t much. It isn’t nearly enough.= But he hands it over to the Lord. And the Lord uses it to work a miracle. The Lord meets the needs of thousa= nds of people, and makes the boy a bona fide hero. A superhero= , just because he shared his supper.

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     The same thing happens= to you and me. When we give Jesus what we have, when we dedicate our gifts and= our powers to His service, He uses them to work miracles.

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    Will you forgive me if= I use myself as an example? I share this in humble astonishment. My calling and my gift is preaching. Now I know that I’m not the most powerful preacher= in the Church. I’m not the most profound preacher in the Church. I’= ;m not the most eloquent preacher in the Church. As a matter of fact, if it we= re absolutely necessary, I might even stoop to an occasional cheap theatrical gimmick to = help get my point across.

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     Nevertheless, Go= d has used my feeble attempts at preaching to reach some people with His loving W= ord. He’s used it to reach some of you – people whom I dearly love – to build your faith and strengthen your relationship with Him. I ju= st love I Corinthians 1:21 in the King James Version. It pleased God by = the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

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     Think of it. I s= tudy some Scripture and read some books. I pray. I type some words on the comput= er and I tell them to you. Nothing miraculous there. Anyone could do it. Yet God graciously uses that to draw people closer to Himself! Astonishing.

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     Or take Bob Watk= ins. Bob was already a strong Christian when I met him. He told me that he used = to play the cello and the trombone, but he didn’t have an instrument anymore. I said, “Well if you can play the cello, I bet you can learn= to play bass. You can borrow mine.” But I was wrong. He tried to learn t= he bass, but could never quite get the hang of it. It’s tuned differently from a cello.

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But instead of giving up, Bob simply retuned the bass. He sort of made it an electric rock cello. For a long tim= e, he rested the bass between his knees and held it upright, like a cello when= he played. Gradually brought it down and plays it like a bass. I think he̵= 7;s one of the best bass players in any church around. He’s certainly = the best electric rock cellist I know. He’s been blessing us with his mus= ic for more than 15 years.

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     Before too long = he bought a trombone, and he plays that from time to time. He also got a real cello a few years ago, and we’ve heard him use that instrument to lea= d us in worship. What you may not know is that in his 60’s he’s even started writing musical arrangements for the ensemble.

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     He gave his gift= to God, and God has multiplied it greatly. And He’s used it to bless the socks off of all of us. I’d call Bob superhero, wouldn’t you?

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    Or take a counter exam= ple. When my daughter was in third grade I found out her teacher, Miss Reynolds, was a flute player. Pat and I invited her to dinner one night, and I asked her to bring her flute so we could try a coup= le duets. Honestly I didn’t expect her to play very well, but I figured I didn’t have anything to loose. I might even give her a couple pointer= s, don’t ya know?

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     Well this young = lady unpacked her flute and blew me out of the room! She was amazing. I invited = her to come play at church sometime, even though I k= new she wasn’t a Christian. She accepted. I invited her to come play again. She accepted again. I asked her if she’d like to join the praise band. She said, “Yes.”&= nbsp; Over time she gave her heart to Jesus and married Ray Smith – = in that order. And now Mindi is an elder and a lea= der in the community, and her lilting music lifts our h= earts toward heaven Sunday after Sunday.

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     She was a gifted musician before she became a Christian. But when she dedicated her gifts to= the Lord, He began to work wonders. I’d call her a super heroine.

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     I look around th= is room and I see one example after another. Dick Sikkema= , who simply greeted Eric and Inger Oestreich in the parking lot the first time they came to church here, and they knew t= hey had found a home. Eric Oestreich, who similarly greeted Dean and Joyce Goodwin in the parking lot the first time they came here. They’ve joined the family too. Teachers. Choir members. Elders. Deacons. People who give out food = at the food pantry. People who give out cookies on elec= tion day. People who pack boxes for Operation Christm= as Child and fill baskets with food for Thanksgiving. All of them dedicating their talents to the Lord, and Him transforming them into superpowers. All of them using their gifts in se= rvice to God, and God using those gifts to meet people’s needs. This place is crawling with superheroes and super heroines!
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     One more example. Our ACTION Heroine of the Week this week is seven-year= -old Stephanie Rentz. Like many of you, Stephanie ca= me to help clean the church at the workday in October. She picked out of the carp= et by hand every little fleck of paper and every single speck of lint she could find on the chancel and in the aisle. She worked for hours. After awhile she told me, “I start to get tired, but then I remember where I am. This = is God’s house, so I keep working!” What a great attitude! And bec= ause of it, you and I have a more beautiful place to come and worship God. IR= 17;d say she’s not just an ACTION Heroine, I’d say she’s a sup= er heroine. Wouldn’t you?

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     Not long ago I c= ame upon a definition of ministry that bowled me over. Ministry is applying God’s resources to meet people’s needs. Sim= ple and profound.

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     That’s wha= t we do as Christians. We apply God’s resources to people’s needs. W= hen we try to meet people’s needs with our own resources, we can only go = so far. But when we bring the Lord’s resources to bear, only He sets the limit to what can be done.

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    It turns out that mant= ra from the business world isn’t a bad maxim for the Christian. Find a n= eed and fill it. But don’t do it for mere money. And don’t try to d= o it with your own meager powers. But apply the powers of God to those needs and you’ll be a superhero. Apply the powers of God to those needs and soon you’ll say, like Mighty Mouse, “Here I come to save the day!= 221;

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     You have “Spiritual Gifts” to use to meet needs. Some of those gifts are miraculous – like healing. Others seem normal. But when we give them = to God, He does miraculous things with them. He multiplies them.

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     Use your super p= owers for good. Find a need and fill it. Find a hurt and heal it. Apply God’= ;s resources to people’s needs.

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Join in the = on-going battle for truth, righteousness and the Kingdom of God. Be a superhero.

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