Introduction
People are named, heroes are honoured and rewards are welcomed. We love to put a name and a face to our heroes and to see their actions rewarded – especially when faced with such an onslaught of tragedy and terror attacks as we have seen in the UK in recent months. Within the ideals of our hearts, heroes stand for ‘righteousness’. In Matthew 10.40-42, Jesus says that those who live with a true sense of hospitality toward their fellow human beings are also welcoming him and the one who sent him. And they will get their reward.
Context
- As part of the Authors for Grenfell campaign, there is talk of author Philip Pulman naming a character in his next book after a fifteen year old girl who was thought to have died in the Grenfell Tower fire.
- At the Glastonbury Festival, the Foo Fighters dedicated a song during their headline set to the name of a fan who died of breast cancer.
- Also at Glastonbury, while keeping an eye on proceedings and exuding an air of protection for revellers at this year’s festival, the police entered into the spirit of things, adding to an overall sense of welcome and acceptance for all – they were dubbed the Karma Police!
- Heroes – and those who extend the ideals of what it is to ‘welcome’ – were named in the Queen’s Civilian Gallantry List, which was released alongside the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for 2017. Honours included a posthumous award for PC Keith Palmer for his role in confronting the attacker outside Westminster earlier this year, and Bernard Kenny who tried to defend Jo Cox MP in 2016.
- The names of some heroes might be on everyone’s lips at times of terror, such as imam Mohammed Mahmoud who stepped forward at the attack outside the Finsbury Park’s Muslim Welfare House.
- It is not perhaps the most obvious of heroes who takes on the mantels of King Arthur and Merlin in one the biggest summer blockbuster movies of 2017. The latest instalment of the Transformer franchise calls upon unsuspecting heroes to be named as rightful heirs to great warriors of old, in Transformers: The Last Knight.
Reflection
Knights in shining armour seldom fail to inspire a sense of gallantry in people. Which is why Michael Bay’s blatant mash up of Celtic and Arthurian myths and legends in his latest film, Transformers: The Last Knight, will bring popular tales back to life for a new generation of those who like their heroes be-metalled and steel-swinging! For those of us who realise that real heroes tend to look a lot more ‘ordinary’, the names of many who pour the concept of loving care and real welcome into the heart of their communities are rewarded for their actions in the Queen’s Civilian Gallantry and Birthday Honours Lists. Consider, which names are you drawn to from this year’s lists?
Perhaps our favourite heroes are those who bring a sense of calm to volatile situations, whether that be policing passionate party-goers at Glastonbury, or an imam and his brothers in faith in the middle of an angry mob outside a mosque. Mohammed Mahmoud said that it was by God’s grace that they managed to hold back the crowd and protect the disturbed individual who had sought to bring hurt to the heart of their normally peaceful community. Can you think of other potentially explosive situations where someone managed to cool down hot emotions before things got worse?
It is unlikely that many who act like gallant knights – e.g. Mohammed Mahmoud, or PC Keith Palmer, or Bernard Kenny – seek to be dubbed as heroes. Yet, we thank God that such people step forward in moments of trial, to protect the ‘little ones’ and to take an active stand for peace. These are individuals who offer extreme hospitality. They defend our human right to be able to offer true welcome, even in the face of terror and violence.
The psalmist reminds us of the covenant, the living promise, between God and his people, whose love exemplifies true welcome to all peoples in a song of praise to the creator of all things (Psalm 89.1-4,15-18). Here is a promise of the strength and the shield of the Lord for those who walk in the light of God’s presence. In the latest Transformers movie, Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, goes in search of his creator, only to be duped and misled. His misguided actions lead him to ask for forgiveness and seek repentance. Jeremiah’s words to a misguided prophet (Jeremiah 28.5-9) are a warning to us all, as they come in face of a potential uprising and the dangers of being blind to the reality of the moment we are living in. Which begs some questions: amid the heat and passions of our beliefs, who is it that we serve, and are our actions for the greater good?
How do we recognise the true prophets in our world today? Where do we find the righteous people? Who are those who offer a cup of water to the littlest of people? They are those who are prepared to take action, and we name them. We might well call them ‘heroes’ – so we thank God for their living message to us, for we have seen God in them. They deserve honour, as Jesus reminds us: they will get their reward!
Prayer
Consider those from your church, local community or the wider world, who might be named as true (if not obvious) heroes today. Offer their names to God in this prayer.
Great God,
who is named ‘I am’,
we bring to you the names of the welcomers, of prophets and righteous people;
we bring to you the names of the water-givers, who refresh the littlest of us;
we name our honours list, those we would call ‘hero’ [name your heroes].
Pour upon them the rewards of the righteous, the prophets and the disciples –
dub them with the honour of your eternal kingdom.
We give thanks for their lives, for their living example to us.
May they be rewarded with your eternal hospitality.
In the name or Jesus we pray.
Amen.
Questions
- Take a good look at the names on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List and the Queen’s Civilian Gallantry List for 2017. Discuss some of the names on these lists: what have these people done to offer a sense of ‘welcome’ and ‘hospitality’ in the UK?
- Talk about times when you have been called to bring a sense of welcome or a calming influence to a situation. For example, consider how the presence of the police force at this year’s Glastonbury festival, and the actions of Mohammed Mahmoud and his brothers in faith in Finsbury, brought calm in different yet both potentially difficult situations. In the light of Matthew 10.40-42, what is their reward?
Action
Much has been said and done recently to mark the anniversary of the senseless murder of the MP Jo Cox. Considering all that has been said of her mission, how might your church hold your local MPs and councillors accountable to their election promises, and to be true welcomers of all peoples in your local community? What ways can you, as a fellowship of faithful disciples, offer to help and support them in a joint mission of hospitality in the community which you both serve?
Young people
If can, watch the trailer of the new Transformers movie, ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’, and a reasonably recent recording (ideally video) of David Bowie’s song ‘Heroes’. It may help be to have a printed copy of the lyrics to look at. Consider both of these takes on being a ‘hero’ in the light of Matthew 10.40-42. What does it mean to be a ‘hero’ to the ‘little ones’ (Matthew 10.42) as a disciple of Jesus today?
Tim Lowe is a minister of the United Reformed Church, serving four churches in North Coventry. Tim is particularly in interested in using visual art forms as expressions of faith.
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