"A Hero Without A Cape”

In Jesus Holy Name June 18,2023

Text: Ephesians 6:4; 2 Corinthians 6:18 (The Message) Father’s Day

“A Hero Without a Cape”

It was on a Sunday, the 18th of February of 2001, that a car on the last lap of the Daytona 500 was hit from behind and was sent careening into the wall at 180 miles an hour. Dale Earnhardt, Sr., one of NASCAR's legends - "the Intimidator" - was dead. Even after 22 years he remains one of the biggest icons in NASCAR history.

Wealthy, respected, healthy-as-a-horse Dale Earnhardt had died at the top of his career. Earnhardt’s death on Feb. 18, 2001 is credited with the creation of the safety revolution in NASCAR, called the HANS safety system. This new system has yielded a 100 percent survival rate in at least a thousand crashes at NASCAR’s top race series over the past 20 years. (HANS stands for Head and Neck Safety device)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflected on his father’s legacy which forever will be linked to the longest stretch without a fatality in NASCAR history….The “soft wall” technology also created a SAFER barrier that uses energy-absorbing foam to reduce crash impacts.

A top NASCAR driver recently stated: : “As you look at Dale’s death, the last 22 years changed the way our sport looked from the safety and innovation side. Soft walls. Seats. Helmets. Gloves. Seat belts.

“Everything that NASCAR has done on the safety side is directly related to what happened with Dale Earnhardt. NASCAR realized they needed to invest in the stars of their sport because they didn’t need another situation like they had with Dale Earnhardt.” Safety remains his legacy to NASCAR.

There is another Father who created a glorious, legacy which began in the beautiful Garden of Eden, for His children. This was His dwelling place on the earth. Just as every human father comes home from work to spend time with his family so, Elohim, the Creator of the Universe would come and walk in the Garden with His most prized creation, His human family, Adam and Eve. They had been created in His image with the responsibility to manage His temple on earth. The Garden was His temple. It was a time of harmony, love, peace and joy.

The intimacy, unblemished love, harmony and peace did not last because of a fatal crash of ethics. Their world of safety was forever changed when Adam and Eve listened to the hissing voice of Satan, the angel who hated the Creator of the Universe. The result was that death now came into a once perfect world. The question? Could the Creator Father restore what was lost? What plan would He create to restore harmony, peace and eternity?

The Creator of the Universe did not send a fictional super hero with a cape. The Father chose to send His Son to His created world to restore what was lost. In order to restore what was lost His son would have to be born in human flesh. That happened at Bethlehem. John explained the “plan” with descriptive words: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us …He was in the world that He made but the world did not recognize Him…. We have seen His glory The one and Only from the Father.” We have seen His miracles. We saw Him raise the dead back to life. (John 1:14,10)

John’s gospel continues to tell the story of the arrest, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus. He writes: Jesus was nailed to the cross. As He hung on the cross there were those standing who challenged Him. “Jesus save Yourself if you are the Messiah.” He refused because of the Father’s love for those created in His image, you and me. His death, was the result of our broken commandments, our selfish ethics.

This was the plan of the Father to save the Human race from hell and eternal death. Jesus rose from death and the grave and thus the Father’s promise of forgiveness and eternal life are now a reality for all who place their trust in Jesus, the Father’s Son. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is the legacy of a loving Father.

On this Father’s Day, I hope you experience love and thankfulness. It is our Heavenly Father’s desire that every earthly father and mother imitate His Son Jesus and share His love with their children. “Fathers and mothers enter the child-rearing business at two different times. Mothers decide to be mothers long before dads do. A mother carries a baby for nine months, giving her an opportunity to grow with her decision to parent the new family member.

Dad, however, goes about his daily routine, pretty much unaffected by what’s going on inside the womb. Oh, he’s supportive and excited, but compared to Mom, he’s an observer. Until delivery time. Then Dad’s world takes on new meaning. He looks into the face of the new life and is faced with the realization: “I’m the father of this child.” You might call it a “delivery room discovery.” (Max Lucado devotional for Father’s Day)