Walter Albritton September 22, 2013 I have known about hero worship since childhood. When I was a boy I had my share of heroes. My first hero was the Lone Ranger. On weekday afternoons when I was young my ears were glued to the family radio as I shared the thrilling adventures of the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Then into my life came Superman, Tarzan, Gene Autrey and Roy Rogers. Raised on a farm I was especially impressed by men who were expert horsemen. I had my own horse, Josephine, by age 12 and loved riding her until I left home for Auburn. I could ride her bareback and without a bridle and did so fearlessly as a teenager. The man of steel inspired me with his strength. I was thin and frail in my early teens and I longed for larger biceps to impress the girls. I even ordered the Charles Atlas Body Building Kit so I could learn to hold my own with the older boys. Big muscles eluded me but I never lost my desire to become a strong man with hair on my chest. I wish I still had the collection of comic books I treasured as a boy. It is funny how when you are young you never think about saving stuff that could have great value in later years. Sometimes I wonder if my old comic books are still stored out of sight, collecting dust, in the attic of our old home place. I don’t remember discarding them. I have different heroes now. Over the years my heroes gradually became what I like to call “mighty men of God.” My current heroes are men, and women, who are “sold out” servants of Jesus Christ in a culture that is unfriendly toward Christians. Hero worship seems to have a hold on us throughout our lives. Watch the Atlanta Braves play baseball and you will see grown men wearing a shirt with the name Chipper Jones or Tim Hudson on it. Both are worthy baseball heroes. Tune in a college football game and you will see thousands wearing the caps and clothing of their heroes. And believe it or not the huge crowds at NFL games will usually include some middle-aged man wearing the cape and costume of Superman. Some adults have turned hero worship into silliness. Turn to the Bible and you find John the Revelator falling to his knees to worship the angel who had revealed so much to him. The angel, however, immediately said to John, “No, don’t worship me. Worship God!” That was good advice for John and it is good advice for us today. We need to be careful what we worship for only God is worthy of our worship. A good question we might ask ourselves is this: At what altar do I kneel and worship in these days of my life? Get still. Be quiet for a few moments. You may hear that same angel say as plainly as he said it to John: “Worship God!” + + +