On Monday we will celebrate Bermuda National Heroes Day. Bermuda has picked several individuals who had big influence on the history and development of our little island. One of them, the only one picked while alive, Sir John Swan, just died last week. A true character.

I remember my in-laws, very ordinary hard-working folks, saying, that without Sir John they would have never been able to build a family home back in the day. I don’t know how he was instrumental, but he was there when he was needed.

Maybe that is what makes one a hero, to be there when you are needed. I guess we all have our personal heroes, maybe a parent or other relative, a teacher, or another person who became a mentor or one who saved us from great danger.

There are many real heroes around us, people who are there when they are needed and many never get the big lime light. Think of the medical field alone, or the coastguard, fire brigade, police and so many more.

The Bible is also full of heroes stories. Abraham saved his nephew Lot from Assyrian kings, who had attacked Gomorrah and taken him captive, while Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dug wells all over the land not only for their own use but to help develop the country.

Joseph saved his family and their clans from the seven-year famine even though they had treated him badly before; Moses led the people out of Egyptian slavery and kept them alive for 40 years in the desert; Joshua and Caleb led the people to conquer the promised land and defeated Jericho with its high walls; the so-called judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson saved the people again and again from enemies; and King David defeated Goliath; Esther saved the exiled Jews in Persia from a pogrom. In fact there are too many heroes in the Bible to name them all.

In the New Testament there is first and foremost Jesus, who healed the sick, blind, and lame and preached the Good News of Salvation by Grace alone. He was even willing to die for us on the Cross.

The Apostle Paul was a hero who suffered great pain, being stoned, imprisoned and persecuted for bringing the Gospel to Asia Minor and Europe. The other apostles had to suffer as well trying to help others.

Modern hero stories often have superheroes with superpowers. Not only children like to imagine the power of Superman, Batman, or Captain America. Wouldn’t it be great to have those superpowers?

Superheroes make great movie stories, as the special effects will excite people, even those who normally don’t believe in anything supernatural. However, you don’t need those kind of supernatural superpowers to become a real hero.

When I work with students I often try to make them imagine their own superpowers. Can you make people smile by wiggling your ears? Are you kind and friendly? Maybe you can help other students understand something that is hard for them, but easy to you.

Actually we all have more powers than we realise. We have the choice to become a positive power in this world. We can encourage, support, carry, empower, praise, serve, teach, lift the people around us. We actually can become messengers of Good News, of hope, love, and faith.

We can speak up when there is injustice, show integrity even in difficult situations, and thus become role models and heroes for others. Some of us might be able to help someone struggling financially, provide an affordable apartment to a family in need, create new jobs with decent wages.

To become a hero does not mean to push yourself to the front and make headlines, it means to be there when you are needed, even when others are afraid of it or nobody is watching.

Many of the biblical heroes I mentioned above did not really want to be heroes, they often even tried to get out of it first. Many of them were humble by nature. Still, when they were needed, they were there. Their superpowers were the willingness to serve for the good of others, and doing so God gave them powers beyond their own imagination.

We really need more women and men who are willing to serve, and put others first. I am sure you can make a difference in at least in one person’s life. Our children and youth especially need adults who become heroes for and to them, who are willing to give of their time, experience, talent or treasure to help those children to see a better future.

Your superpower might be a skill that you can pass on, or empathy, time, or just humour and joy. It is a harsh world out there for our young people. Many of our social problems could be eased if more adults would use their “superpowers” to help someone in their community.

I admire the young people of Bermuda is Love, Julia Snelling with the The Grateful Bread, the Pink Ladies, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Bermuda, and the many others who find ways to help.

I am impressed how many people in Bermuda are willing to help and be there when they are needed. We have many more heroes than those eight officially picked. They just stand as role models for us to find our own superpower, our own way to be there when we are needed or just by volunteering with a charity or other organisation. Find your power and put it to use.

Happy National Heroes Day, Bermuda.

• Karsten Decker was the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Bermuda from 2010 to 2017, and after returning from Germany is now the temporary pulpit supply at Centenary United Methodist Church in Smith’s