Superhero Strength

Good morning! I hope and pray that you were able to get some rest and respite and rejuvenation last night. I pray that this conference helps to inspire you and encourage you. I hope you are being strengthened for your ministry. You know…superheroes need superhero-sized strength!

Let’s do a silent introspective survey…as we watch two very short videos this morning, I want you to ask yourself, which one is best reflective of how you feel?

This...

Superhero Video

Or this...

Silly String Video

So…where are you at? How are you feeling? Like a superhero with those around you cheering you on? Or, do you feel like you are getting dumped on? Everyone else is having fun, but you are the recipient of misery?

Yesterday, we talked about a superhero identity crisis, and our focus was on the words through Him in our conference theme. This morning we’re going to touch upon what gives you strength and what zaps your strength. We are going to be focusing on the words who strengthens me in our conference theme.

Yesterday, we looked at the superhero identity crisis with Bruce Wayne and Batman, Clark Kent and Superman, and Peter Parker and Spiderman.

And, while those superheroes had amazing strengths, skills, talents, and attributes, they also had their weaknesses…their baggage…their struggles.

The super strong Man of Steel Superman had his strength zapped by kryptonite. And, when his strength was zapped, he was just a normal regular average man. You see, Superman struggled with being normal.

The innovative and technologically equipped Batman battled his childhood fears of seeing his parents murdered and having fallen into a cave full of bats. You see, Batman struggled with fear.

The quick and agile and adaptive Spiderman was conflicted all of the time. He was picked on by his peers. He never got the girl of his dreams. He felt responsible for his uncle’s death. You see, Spiderman struggled with the reality of life.

So, for you superheroes, what zaps your strength? What takes you from the being the superhero that God wants you to be as He works through you and you in Him? What takes you from being a superhero to being just blah?

John 10:10a

We should not be surprised by any of this. You see John’s Gospel spells it out clearly in the first half of the tenth verse in the tenth chapter.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. John 10:10a

You see, the thief—Satan, the pressures of the world, the temptations and deceptions of the evil one—comes only to steal and kill and destroy. The devil does not want you to be successful in your ministry. The devil actually wants to destroy your ministry. The devil does not want you to have the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with your itty bitty kiddos and their parents.

You see, you are in a critical ministry. You are a frontline worker of sharing Jesus and modeling Jesus and building a faith foundation with those entrusted into your care. You have a ministry of planting seeds—seeds that grow into eternity by the nourishment of the Holy Spirit.

John 10:10

Let the rest of the verse of John 10:10 give you strength and encouragement for your ministry. You see, Jesus came to give us life and give it to us abundantly—and that includes the ministry He’s called you to serve.

The abundant life is what Philippians chapter 4 is all about. You see, the context of the entirety of Philippians 4 is about Paul writing all of this while in prison. Listen to these words of a man in prison and unsure of what is going to happen to him while facing a not so pleasant experience and environment.

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:10-13

You see, that passage is really the abundant life that the Gospel of John 10:10 is speaking about. We need to know that we are strengthened by Christ for ministry, and being strengthened by Christ is a part of the abundant ministry life He wants us to enjoy.

Here are 3 things that the abundant ministry life is all about in relationship with Philippians 4 and John 10.

Living fully alive in a ministry of God’s grace is living and serving in forgiveness.

The thief wants you to believe that God would not want to forgive you. But the abundant life is living in the hope and security of forgiveness. You get to share that with your kiddos and their parents and your colleagues.

Living fully alive in a ministry of God’s grace is to live and serve with contentment.

It is hard to live with contentment at times. Been there. Struggled with that.

Growing up my family did not have much at all. We were poor. I distinctly remember one Friday night when I was in junior high, we were about to eat dinner and my Mom was wondering what we could eat. Oh, we had stuff to eat…canned Spam and canned vegetables…not much…not great…but it wasn’t payday and so we were limited to what we had. My Dad sitting at the dinner table in his bib overalls after having worked outside, said, “Sharon, how many Benny’s coupons do we have?” He must have seen the hope light up in me and my sisters’ eyes! Ahh…Benny’s…the best pizza in the whole world. You see, Benny’s pizza boxes had a printed coupon on them and if you saved up 10 coupons, you got a free pizza. And that night, we had exactly 10 coupons! So, my Dad tells me to call and order the pizza and off we were to Benny’s to pick it up in our old 15-passenger van where my Dad had to staple a sheet of plastic from ceiling to floor inside the van right behind the first row of seats to keep any heat into the vehicle. And once we picked up the pizza, it was placed on the dash and as my Dad began to drive away the pizza box slid off the dash and fell on the floor. My Mom and sisters were in tears. My Dad looked straight ahead driving in denial and hoping the tragedy was just a bad dream.

And me, well, I unbuckled and tried to pick up the pizza and put it back in the box. And let me tell you, that was the grittiest best tasting pizza in the world!

You see, superhero early childhood educators, for us to have an abundant ministry life, we need to find contentment in our ministry life no matter the situation!

Living fully alive in a ministry of God’s grace is to be hemmed in by Christ.

We are living in a broken world that is much like a ride at an amusement park.

Slide of a roller coaster

Sometimes our ministry ride is a roller coaster with scares and thrills and going by so fast that we feel it is too difficult to catch our breath. Sometimes the ministry ride is slow, perhaps even tranquil. Sometimes it goes from fast and scary to slow and tranquil with such an abruptness that we can’t make sense of what is happening. But when we are living fully alive in God’s grace, we are on this ministry ride being hemmed in by Christ…Christ is the harness on the roller coaster…Christ is the safety belt on ride…Christ is the lap bar that you pull down to keep you in place in protection. Regardless of the how unnerving the ministry ride may be or how enjoyable the ministry ride may be, Christ hems us in and never leaves us.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Superhero early childhood educators, I pray that you are strengthened and encouraged and inspired knowing that God is our refuge and our strength.

We are strengthened through His Word.

We are strengthened through His forgiveness.

We are strengthened when we enjoy contentment in whatever situation our ministry gives to us.

We are strengthened when we allow Christ to hem us in and shroud us with His love.

Please pray with me...

Lord, I thank you for using these amazing ministry-minded workers to serve your precious children. Lord, strengthen us for service in Your kingdom. Forgive us when we fall short of carrying out Your ministry calling of us. Lord, lead us to abide in You and enjoy the abundant life You desire us to live. We pray this and all things in the name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior—the source of our strength and of our abundant ministry life. Amen.