When we think of heroes, we often think of people who gave their lives – sometimes literally – for the good of others. The kind of people that come to mind are people who, faced with the choice to lay it all on the line or walk away, choose the good of all over simply the good of themselves. Naturally, military heroes make it on our list. Firefighters and police officers who risk their safety in order to provide it for others usually make it, too.
But did you realize the story of Christ’s birth is also filled with heroes and sheroes?
While we may be tempted to adorn Christmas with warm, fuzzy thoughts depicting a simply glorious scene in Bethlehem that night, we’d be better off in the long run to see it for what it was, and let reality speak into our lives. What was the reality? The in-breaking of God into humanity in the person of Jesus Christ was the most revolutionary, rebellious, and scandalous event in history.
The prophecies foretelling Christ’s birth emphasized that this anointed One would have all the authority and power of God, that He would be a King above all Kings, and that his kingdom would never end. These words give us hope. But for the reigning authorities that existed before and during Christ’s birth, these words signaled a threat to their throne and kingdom. Those who followed this anointed One would be seen as guilty of insurrection, punishable by death.
Who were some of these heroes and sheroes?
Mary and Joseph. To say yes to God’s invitation to bring Christ into the world was to go against their self-interest, their family’s “name” in the community, and directly against the ruling Roman authorities. The personal challenge was tough enough without throwing in the political mess.
The Shepherds. For them to respond to the message of the angels put their livelihood in jeopardy, and their necks on the chopping block as they proclaimed what they heard and saw. All so that the community around them would hear the good news of the son of God’s birth.
The Magi. These guys saw the invitation in the stars and followed it, at great personal cost. By approaching Herod, they put themselves and the newborn’s life in danger. By not honoring the king’s wishes, and returning to their homeland by another way, they risked being hunted and killed by the roman soldiers. Yet their gift communicated great meaning to Mary and Joseph – and to all people everywhere – about the nature of this newborn king’s person and purpose.
John the Baptist. A distant cousin of Jesus, John’s proclamation of Jesus as the Lamb of God, the long-awaited Messiah, put his life at risk. He was so overwhelmed by what God was doing that he didn’t care about who his message offended – he was keenly focused on how his message would help those who were seeking after God. His boldness eventually caught up with him, and he was beheaded.
David, Chris, Dan and Kerry. These four guys could leave the life they had behind, and have a life of greater comfort. But instead, they have committed themselves to serving the community in which they were raised, in an effort to raise the community by helping its most vulnerable segment: the orphans. Their school is the only hope these kids have, and the feeding program we support gives them the calories needed to learn and grow. These guys are heroes.
Ray and Adaliah. Just blocks from their home in Tijuana, high ranking government officials were gunned down. Kidnappings are a normal occurrence, poor people holding other poor people for ransom. Human trafficking is right in their face, and the children of prostitution and rape are under their care. They have chosen to reside in an oppressive state just across our border so that the Kingdom of God can take root and grow. These two, along with the other servants of Deborah’s House are servants.
I guess what makes these people stand out is the contrast between them and what seems to be normative in our world. These folks have gone beyond Christian “niceness” and moved on to sacrifice. Their sacrifice is to not order their lives the way most people do – to go against the flow, to break free from the system(s) of this world – and to allow their footsteps to mirror Christ’s. It’s like they have caught on to something that is more compelling than the way they’ve left behind – some better has convinced them to shed their old ways for new ways, old clothes for new ones.
Felicitas and Perpetua lived in the third century in North Africa. They both converted to the Way of Christ and became sisters and dear friends. They were imprisoned for their faith. Felicitas was eight months pregnant. Perpetua nursed her newborn baby in prison. An edict made it unlawful for pregnant women to be killed, so the two stayed in there for awhile. Their families pleaded with them to renounce their faith and be released. They refused. Two days after Felicitas gave birth, they women were fed to the beasts in imperial games. They were said to have given each other a kiss of peace as they met their deaths together. Sheroes.
Basil of Russia is a saint of the Orthodox Church. He was quite a fool for Christ, walking around, barely clothed, looking the part of a vagrant and beggar. During the reign of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible, known for his iron-fisted leadership sprinkled with a little religiosity, people cowered in fear. As people were committing themselves to a vegetarian diet throughout Lent, Basil sent a bloody slab of beef before Ivan with a message: “Why abstain from meat when you are shedding the blood of your people?” Ivan didn’t lay a hand on Basil. Rather, he was said to have given gifts to Basil, who in return gave them to the poor. He went against the grain. He was a hero.
You are called to be a hero or shero. If you have accepted the God’s invitation to do life with Him by following the Way of Christ, then you have been given a mission. That mission is to be in the world but not of it. To be set apart. To wear a different wardrobe. To cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. To be different. To be a catalyst for the Kingdom right where you are. To not be driven by the winds of the world but by the breath of God. When you do these things, you are being heroic, because not too many people – even professing Christians – live, intentionally, as they understand Christ leading them.
But when we do, the world changes for the better. That’s incentive.
When we do, we discover our desire for a meaningful life is met. That’s a good deal.
When we do, we find joy and love and peace that we didn’t expect. That’s a great surprise.
When we do, we find ourselves becoming more whole, and we discover that those who we lovingly serve are becoming more whole, too.
When we do, we discover that sacrificing the ethic of this world for the Way of Christ was not much of a sacrifice at all, really, and we’d be the first to deny our heroism.
Do you want to see the world change? Do you want your deepest desires met? Do you want more love, joy, and peace in your life? Are you interested in becoming more whole, more “well”? Would you like to see those you love and serve more “well” as well?
Then make the decision to sacrifice the MO of our culture and pick up the Way of Christ. Be heroic.
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