Hidden Heroes
A Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
February 19, 2006
Abington Presbyterian Church

II Kings 5: 1-14
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. ² Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” ⁴ So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. ⁵ And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”

He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. ⁶ He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”

⁸ But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.*  

Do you have a hero? Who is your hero? An athlete? A politician? A teacher? A mentor? One of the characteristics of this postmodern world is that we lack for heroes. Athletes, those traditional heroes, often have inflated egos and quite frankly not the best examples for anyone. No one is beyond reproach, consequently we dare not put anyone on a pedestal. Yet there are still heroes. They aren’t always obvious. Often they are hidden. These hidden heroes don’t always grab the headlines. They don’t have books written about them. But they make a difference. One of the powerful things about the Bible is that it often tells the stories of hidden heroes. Usually we don’t even know their names but they are as important to the history of salvation as anyone, save Christ himself. Today, I would like to share two stories with you and then make an observation.

I

The first story is a personal story and I am sure that I have shared it with you on another occasion. It occurred around fifteen years ago. It was about a week before Christmas and if the truth be told, I was in a pretty crummy mood. Christmas is a tremendously busy time for those in my profession. We spend that time making the season meaningful for others. It is a time of high expectations and often those expectations are directed on churches and the pastors who serve them. I was in a crummy mood. I wasn’t quite scrooge. I wasn’t saying “Bahh, Humbug” but I was not enjoying the season. I just wanted to get through it.

That night we were hosting the members of the church staff. It was a Friday night, I was tired from the week, and now we were getting ready to host the members of the church staff. As we were getting ready, we discovered that we forgot to purchase one of the ingredients for the meal. It meant that I had to go out in the cold, snowy evening and purchase one can of condensed milk. I was not happy about it. I drove to the supermarket, parked and started to head in toward the entrance to the store. It was then that I noticed that the Salvation Army had set up a kettle by the entrance, with someone ringing a bell, encouraging contributions. This particular year they had homeless and other recipients helping out at the kettles. They tended to be a bit more aggressive in pursuit of contributions. There was a kettle between me and the supermarket. I knew that if I could throw something in the kettle, I wouldn’t be bothered. There was a woman who looked older than her age watching that particular kettle. She had on an old coat that looked well worn. I reached into my pocket, but there was no change. I looked in my wallet and I pulled out a dollar bill and folded it. . My plan was to walk past the kettle, smoothly placing my contribution in the kettle and enter the store, so that I wouldn’t be bothered. I was even grumpier. It was an expensive price to pay for admission to the grocery store. I just didn’t want to be bothered by anyone. I just wanted to get my can of evaporated milk and return home. I placed the dollar bill in the kettle and continued in stride to walk into the store when I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned around and looked into the face of a woman with just a few teeth. She smiled and said: “Merry Christmas, sir.”

It was a greeting that I had heard a thousand times and one that I had casually offered to others during the season. Something was different this time, and to this day, I can’t completely describe what I heard in those three words… but for me, at that moment, it was a message of “comfort and joy.” It was mostly joy to one grumpy young man. The Christmas season has been one of great joy to me ever since.

I have my heroes. In my pantheon of heroes are theologians, teachers that I have had, Abraham Lincoln, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart…. To that list, I must add that nameless woman, with a few teeth, bundled up in an old weathered coat, giving me the words of hope and joy that I was entrusted with sharing with others. She is one of my hidden heroes.

II

The second story is from the bible. It was read just a few minutes ago. It is the story about a powerful general, Naaman. He was a man of action. He was a individual who had the ability to change history. He was also very ill. It is also the story of the prophet Elisha. He was the prophet who received the mantle from Elijah the first of the great classic prophets. Elisha was one who spoke for God: truly a powerful person. The story was an encounter between these two powerful and important people… or was it? The witness of the bible is fascinating at this point. The important people, the true heroes of this story are not even named. The first one is the servant girl. Slave might accurately describe her. She was a Hebrew girl who was taken into slavery by the Aramians on one of their raids. She was bought by Naaman to serve his wife. This was not an exalted person. But she was the hidden hero, the unnamed heroine of this story. The bible contrasts this young slave woman with this powerful but ill general, and it becomes obvious to us who the hero is. She knew where to find hope! Naaman did not!

The second hero of the story was the servant or servants who went with Naaman to Israel. The prophet Elisha wouldn’t even come out and see Naaman. Can you imagine that. He was dissed by a prophet. Elisha sent a messenger out who told Naaman to wash himself seven times in the river Jordan. Naaman was absolutely beside himself with anger. “Is this the way a general is treated? The river Jordan could not compare with the rivers of his own country.” Naaman was angry and was about to leave when he was approached by his servants. In effect they said to him…”It can’t hurt. Give it a try.” Naaman does and was healed.

Once again the hidden heroes of this story were the servants… un-named servants, in all likelihood, slaves brought home by Naaman on one of his conquering raids. Hidden heroes whose wisdom triumphs over Naaman’s snit.

III

Now the comment. This story from the bible and many others speak to us about the importance of people, unnamed people. There are so many anonymous people. The servant girl, the servants who accompanied Naaman to Israel, the woman ringing the Salvation Army bell in front of the grocery store. That list can go on. In the gospels it includes the woman at the well who became the first evangelist. It includes the unnamed shepherds who were the first to see the Christ. It includes the thousands who witnessed his miracle of plenty. It includes the un-named criminal who was crucified with Christ. There are so many unnamed hidden heroes in the bible, and they are also in our lives.

When I think about what goes on in the church that I serve, we often forget the hidden heroes. They are the one who teaches Sunday School giving up time to share the good news with children and others. They are the women and men working in the kitchen to prepare a dinner. They are the guys coming out on Tuesday morning fixing things around the building. They are the church librarians, those who gather to sew. They are those who quietly pray for the welfare of their church, their pastors and their leaders. There are so many hidden heroes, I cannot name them… but we should be grateful to them.

I leave you with 2 suggestions. First, When you feel unimportant, when you feel you are not making an impact or a difference in life, remember that you may be someone’s hidden hero.

Second, this is an easy thing to do and it will do amazing things to lift your spirits. Think about your life and the people who have touched your life and made a difference. If you can remember their names, take a moment and write a small note and say thank you. Express gratitude. In the words of Shakespeare, such a note is “twice blessed.” It blesses the one who receives it… and the one who gives. I wish I could send one to the woman outside the grocery store, but I don’t know her name. I am forever grateful for the good news and healing she brought into my life. Amen.

*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org