A note from Grant Hickman

I love a good hero story. Whether Batman, Thor, or Mario and Luigi. However, I love one set of heroes more than most. And that is Bernard and Miss Bianca.

It is understandable if you don’t remember them; they are not a part of the MCU, but rather are a part of The Rescue Aid Society and are best known from the 1990 hit Rescuers Down Under.

Why do I look to them as heroes?The biblical word for a hero is Redeemer, which is defined as : a protector, avenger, or rescuer for others, especially in situations of threat, loss, poverty, or injustice. Always involving effort, cost, and sometimes self-sacrifice. These two mice display that as they rescue Cody and the golden eagle, Marahute.

Effort, cost, and self-sacrifice.

This is exactly what Jesus called us to when he told the story of the good Samaritan. You can find that parable in Luke 10:25-37 where a Samaritan cares for, at great cost to himself, a Jewish man.

These two were cultural rivals, and the expectation was that the Samaritan should not help the Jewish man. Yet he does.This is what heroes do. It is what Jesus did and what we get to continue to do.

So, I have been asking myself lately, whom do I need to be a redeemer for? Not because I can redeem in the sense that Jesus has, but because God uses me— like Bianca and Bernard— to help others.

How can I protect, avenge, or rescue others from loss, poverty, or injustice? Always involving effort, cost, and sometimes self-sacrifice?

In other words, what would it look like for us to say yes to the cost rather than no? What if we took that feeling of “but this will cost me” and made it a signal for GO instead of letting it be a signal for NO?

Maybe, just maybe, it would be Holy Spirit lead heroic.

Grant Hickman
Pastor of Coaching