- Upper School
Heroes. Most of us have them, and all of us need them, according to Rabbi Craig Lewis, the leader of Chattanooga's historic Mizpah Congregation, who spoke at Wednesday's Chapel program.
"You see a woman in a parking lot trying to get her infant into a car seat and load her groceries into the car," said Lewis, painting a scene. "You walk over and offer to take her grocery cart back to the cart rack for her. For that mom, you're a hero."
He paused, then added, "In my mind, a hero is concerned about the well-being of others, even when there's no chance of a reward."
We are on the cusp of Thanksgiving, a national holiday where we give thanks for whatever is good in our lives, regardless of our religious affiliation. Of course, it also marks the start of a five-week religious celebration that includes the Christmas season for Christians and Hanukkah for the Jewish faith.
With that in mind, three weeks before Rabbi Lewis spoke, Dr. Walter Strickland of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary took the Chapel stage to bring a message of love to the Upper School student body.
He spoke of Dr. Martin Luther King's nonviolent message for change. As a possible nod to the same plea for heroes, or at least heroic acts in today's society, Strickland said, "As you go out into the world, trying to make a difference, get involved, help others in need."
In a later email, he wrote: "Dr. King's method of nonviolent direct action was driven by love. When love undergirds a movement, it can focus its energy on specific issues that hinder flourishing in our culture and avoid emotional outbursts that are often devoid of strategic motivation."
Rabbi Lewis said on Wednesday, "The best superpowers are our ethical values. Being a hero is doing something based entirely on principle. You give a homeless person money because you know he needs food, whether he asks for it or not."
Strickland is concerned about those who fall between the cracks and aren't always easily identified as needing help.
"I am most concerned that we've lost our spiritual grounding to identify causes that need our attention," he wrote this week. "And also to stay the course when those issues are identified."
In his two visits to McCallie in recent years, Strickland has been impressed with the student body's worldview in these complex and difficult times.
"I am impressed by the level of respect and decorum between McCallie students," he said. "I have also been struck by their passion to excel in academics and athletics at McCallie, and the insistence upon making a difference in the world in light of their quality preparation/education."
As Rabbi Lewis spoke of our nation and the world's need for heroes, he noted, "Heroes don't have to be perfect." He then singled out Oskar Schindler, who became the catalyst for the movie "Schindler's List." A member of the Nazi Party, he came to create fake documents to allow more than 1,200 Jews to work in his factories and avoid being put to death by the Nazis.
He was far from a perfect man — his factory-made ammunition killed Allied soldiers during World War II. Still, his protection of his Jewish employees was a rare example of decency and humanitarianism in Hitler-led Germany.
Added Lewis, "We have to get into the practice of doing heroic things."
Both men are concerned about what they witness, which is an increasingly divided, hostile world.
"How divided we are and how we're so distrustful of the other side," said Lewis.
"Fear is a driving motivator for people right now," said Strickland. "Social media has done a tremendous disservice to us. The methods we use to communicate need to change."
But they also both see hope for our future through our youth and our faith.
"When I talk to kids, especially teenagers, they are so motivated to be a part of change for the better," said Lewis.
Dr. Strickland added, "I have hope for our country because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still changing lives, and transformed people change societies."
And we should all give thanks for that this Thanksgiving.
- Chapel Talks