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 The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Have a look at these people.(Show powerpoint of celebrities)

I am willing to bet that you recognised at least one or two of them. They are all in one sense or another famous people.

They are what is commonly referred to as celebrities.

Some of them are even famous for being famous.

They are much talked about in girly magazines, tabloids and woman’s magazines, and many young people today aspire to be like them, perhaps because of the high status, the media visibility and financial resources being a celebrity offers them.

Reading the papers this week however, I have been struck by the sheer number of inspiring stories not about celebrities, but about ordinary people who, one way or another have performed brave and heroic acts.

As I reflected on these stories I became curious about what made someone a hero and what might be the difference between being a hero and being a famous celebrity.

Heroes are often famous, but then again not always so.

Some celebrities may be heroes, but judging from those featured in the power point, not all celebrities are by any means heroes either.

Sir Edmund Hilary was an example of a famous hero and in some sense he was also a celebrity. I think he became a celebrity for climbing Mount Everest, but to my way of thinking, he became a hero for the good work he did for the people of Nepal.

The problem is that word "hero" has been so debased and overused in our modern society that it is almost meaningless when applied to the real thing.

So, what then is the difference between a celebrity and a hero?

Would anyone like to take a stab at answering that question?

I think that being a celebrity is quite ego focused. It is one who enjoys a life style  because of the public affirmation they have received for  some personal achievement. Being a celebrity is self enhancing.

While a hero is self sacrificing.

#someone who has helped others without expecting much in return. 

#Someone who seems to care less about status and prestige and more about what they can do to help or rescue  others in  a given situation.

#Someone who is prepared to use their fame or fortune or skills or time to help others.

#Someone who is courageous enough  to be prepared to put his or her life on the line to help others and who does so without the expectation of fame.

#Someone who is so grounded in the values of compassion and care that when the occasion arises they instinctively respond appropriately to the needs of others.

This requires discipline and training .

The Hamilton firemen who so bravely fought the fire  in Tamahere come to mind

and the boy who ventured back into shark infested waters in order to try and  save his friend who had been bitten by a shark.

The men and women  who worked tirelessly to save people from drowning when the Wahine ferry went aground off Wellington’s Pencarrow Coast  40 years ago. These people strike me as being heroes.

Here’s another story about a hero which we will watch on this dvd today called The Ultimate Sacrifice.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

In the Gospel reading for today we see that Jesus takes the notion of service to others to a new level, to the level of heroic proportions.

In Palestine a shepherd was expected to risk a certain amount of danger for his sheep but he was always expected to come through alive.

Jesus declares that the metaphor of shepherd of his disciples includes laying down his life for his sheep, paying the ultimate sacrifice if need be. We know with the vision of hindsight that he does exactly this. He gives his life on the cross for the good of humanity and in this sense he is the archetypal hero because far from being self enhancing, his life was self sacrificing for the good of others.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Now what might this mean for you and me?

In John 15 : 13 we read :

“Greater love has no one than this,that he or she lay down their life for their friends.”

It seems to me that as Christians we are called to live a heroic life style.

This does not mean that being a celebrity is a bad thing. It means that whether you are a celebrity or not, as a Christian we are called to live our lives with heroic values. Living heroically is more than responding once or twice in a particular way in a crisis. It is far more long term than that. It involves opting for the value system and world view that Jesus modelled.

Jesus calls us to help others without expecting any self advancement. Whether what we do for others is a big gesture or a small one is not the point.

Being a hero is about our motives, we are to help others because they need us to not so that we can be praised for the magnitude of what we do. The story of the Good Samaritan is a story of a hero who made himself available to a stranger in a very generous way. People who live a heroic life are generous.

Living a heroic life style involves sacrifice. I think of people who sacrifice or give away their time, money or skills to help, support or rescue others. To the world they may not be anybody important but to the people they help or support they come to mean the world. Chrissy, a mother with disabled child.

Jesus calls us to always be alert in a sensitive way to the needs of our friends, family, the community and even strangers. When we are self-absorbed we all run the risk of missing pastoral opportunities to live heroically as Christ did.

The world may tempt us to want to be celebrities, to aspire to the glamour of being noticed and acclaimed, but our faith in Jesus Christ calls us to live as heroes.

I wonder if as we describe what a hero is, someone comes to mind. I know I instantly thought of David Friend.

Is there someone in your life who has offered you unconditional help, who has put themselves out to support you in your life?

Perhaps you are mindful of one of your parents, a good friend, or a workmate maybe?

Perhaps it was someone who supported you during a time of illness or who helped you achieve something at work or who supported you when times were tough.

We all have those whom we regard as heroes, but as I have said we are also called to be heroes in the lives of those who come across our paths.

By that I mean we are called to make a significant self-sacrificing difference in the lives of the people in our families and friendships, our community and even in the world while we are alive here.

We are not necessarily expected to do the big heroics every time but each of you knows I am sure what I mean when I say that there are people or causes, who are in your life who need your selfless love and support.

People who need you to help them move to higher ground;

People who may need your time, talents, money or presence for a while;

People who need you to be Jesus’ hands and feet in their lives.

It may be by way of practical help or emotional support, some skill you have that they may need to tap into,

some way your financial help may be able to alleviate a problem.

There may on the surface of it be not very much in it for you personally and you may have to dig deep to offer it, but in your spirit you know the one whom we follow is urging you to reach out with generosity and love as he himself so frequently did when he walked this earth.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

“Greater love has no one than this, that he or she lay down their life for their friends.”

As we reflect on these words and on what they might mean for each of us today, I would like to play a song sung by Josh Groban, You Raise me Up,  which sums up the empowering and enabling effect self sacrificing outreach to others can have.

I have played it at least twice before in this church, but I am hoping you will indulge me and allow me to play it again today, because it sums up what it means to be a hero in someone’s life.

As we listen to this song, perhaps you may like to reflect who God may be calling you to reach out to at this time and how you might best be able to do that.