Thursday, August 4, 2016

A Special Day Turns Into an 'Unspeakable Tragedy'

The Wired Word for the Week of August 7, 2016
In the News
A hot-air balloon crashed and burned during an early morning flight near Lockhart, Texas, on July 30, killing all 16 people on board, making it the deadliest balloon disaster ever in the United States, and the second deadliest worldwide.
Part of the balloon hit power lines in the crash, though it's not yet known what role, if any, that played in the disaster. The incident is still under investigation by the NTSB. Robert Sumwalt, a spokesperson for that group, said that to determine the cause of the crash, investigators will look at three main factors: the balloon, its operators and the environment.
Right now, however, the main story is the tragedy of lives lost -- 15 passengers and the pilot.
The balloon was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. A statement on the company's website says, "It is with extraordinarily heavy hearts that we announce the suspension of operations at Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. The horrific crash near Lockhart, Texas, has taken from us our owner and Chief Pilot, Skip Nichols, as well as 15 passengers, all of whom saw what was planned to be a special day turn into an unspeakable tragedy."
At this point, there is no known history of problems with that company's flights.
More on this story can be found at these links:
The Big Questions
1. In what specific ways do you try to keep yourself ready to "meet your Maker"?
2. Do you find the biblical teachings about living "ready" a source of fear, of comfort or of some other emotion (and if so, what emotion)? Why?
3. If we are saved by faith and not by works (Galatians 2:16), which one is involved in being "ready"? Explain your answer. How does the concept of Christian hope (i.e., not "wishful thinking" but "a strong and confident expectation") come into play?
4. Do you prefer not to know when your earthly life will end? Why or why not?
5. If you knew for sure that your life would end within the next three months, what, if anything, would you do differently from what you are doing now? Why?
Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Matthew 25:13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (For context, read 25:1-13.)
Luke 12:40You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. (For context, read 12:35-40.)
These are but two of several verses from the New Testament that highlight the suddenness and the unexpectedness that will mark the return of Christ. But they equally well apply to the sudden and unexpected timing of death as it comes to any of us before Christ appears.
Questions: What might keeping "awake" look like? In your own words, what is the essence of these two verses? Is being ready a fretful, a frantic, or a joyful thing? If you were to die today, are you satisfied you could give a good account of your time on earth?
How does Luke 21:28 -- "Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" -- apply here?
Luke 12:20-21
But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God. (For context, read 12:13-21.)
This is the ending of Jesus' parable about a farmer who had a bumper crop and decided to build bigger barns, thinking he "had it made." His sudden and unexpected death changed all of that, and reminds us of the need to always be ready to come face to face with God.
But the parable also causes us to think about the matter of reasonable expectations. There's nothing unreasonable about a farmer building bigger barns to house a bountiful harvest. Likewise there's nothing unreasonable about scheduling a flight in a hot-air balloon and expecting to have a good and safe time. Even the author of Ecclesiastes said, "Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do" (9:7), and that sounds reasonable as well.
But the parable makes clear that people with reasonable expectations need to not only allow for the possibility that things will go far differently from what is reasonably expected, but also be prepared in a spiritual sense for facing God.
There's nothing wrong with our reasonable expectations for life and for each other, but Jesus didn't come to fulfill reasonable expectations, but an unreasonable one -- that when we die, we can be raised up in him. Or as Paul put it in Romans, "... neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (8:38-39).
Questions: What is right about the rich man's attitude in this parable? What is the main shortcoming of the farmer in the parable?
If your house caught fire and your family and pets were safe, what items would you try to save from burning? Why? What has this question to do with the "bigger barns" parable Jesus told?
Luke 13:4-5[Jesus asked,] "... those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them -- do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." (For context, read 13:1-5.)
Jesus here speaks about a random accident that took the lives of 18 people, who were no more deserving of such a fate than any others. Thus he refused to view what happened to them as any kind of judgment or punishment. However, Jesus did use the incident to make a point: that repentance of our sins is necessary so that we do not perish in the eternal sense -- and that we should be ready to meet God because our time on earth is finite.
Questions: No reasonable person would conclude from the balloon accident itself that the 16 people who died in that tragedy were more deserving of that fate than others, so how should we think about the randomness of accidents in a world that we believe is in God's hands? Do events such as the balloon incident ever cause you to re-evaluate your life? Should they?
Jesus used the tower of Siloam incident to create a teachable moment. In what sense can the balloon tragedy be a teachable moment, and how would you summarize the lesson?
1 Peter 3:15... but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you ... (For context, read 3:13-22.)
Here's a verse that speaks of living "ready," but where the author was probably thinking not so much about being ready to die, but ready to speak up for the Lord.
We think, however, being ready for that eventuality also makes one ready in the other eventuality as well.
Questions: Assuming the hope Peter spoke of here is "in you," how do you account for it? What situations seemed hopeless to you until God provided light?
Consider inviting volunteers in the group to "give an account" of their faith, hope,and/or belief.
John 14:3, 6
[Jesus said,] "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. … I am the way, and the truth, and the life."(For context, read 14:1-7.)
Hebrews 9:27-28
And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (For context, read 9:23-28.)
We offer these verses simply as a reminder of the gospel and why believers can live without fear of what is beyond death.
Questions: If Jesus is the way, do you see yourself on a four-lane highway, a narrow and bumpy road, or a dead-end street? Why?
For Further Discussion
1. Discuss this, in terms of being ready: During the Nazi rise to power in Germany prior to World War II, the Nazis subordinated the church to the government, in effect placing loyalty to Hitler above loyalty to God. In response, a pastor there named Martin Niemoeller started the Pastors' Emergency League to defend the church. Hitler became angered by Niemoeller's rebellious sermons and popularity, and in 1937, had him arrested. Niemoeller then spent more than seven years in concentration camps, and wasn't freed until Allied forces liberated the camp in 1945.
            While Niemoeller was imprisoned, an American, in contact with Niemoeller's parents, who were both Christians, expressed sympathy to them about their son's plight. The elder Niemoeller replied:
When you go back to America, do not let anyone pity the father and mother of Martin Niemoeller. Only pity any follower of Christ who does not know the joy that is set before those who endure the cross. ... Yes, it is a terrible thing to have a son in a concentration camp. ... But there would be something more terrible for us: if God had needed a willing martyr, and our Martin had been unwilling.
2. Do you ever give thanks that you're alive? The poet Andrew Marvell once wrote, "But at my back I always hear, Time's wingéd chariot drawing near." How often do you feel the urgency or the blessed miracle of today? How often are you so blinded by your to-do list you forget how precious life really is?
3. The late Isaac Asimov, a prolific writer, was once asked what he would do if he found out he had only six months to live. His reply: "Type faster!" Have you identified something you are really passionate about? What causes do you intend to passionately support? Are are doing those things right now? Why or why not?
4. Respond to this statement from the apostle Paul: "For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain" (Philippians 1:21).
Responding to the News
We don't think that being "ready" is something you put in place like you might an insurance policy or a fire escape on the side of your house. Rather, it's one of those things that takes care of itself as you live faithfully -- receiving, following and trusting Christ. So this is a good time to simply consider your commitment to Christ and make whatever adjustments seem necessary to be a faithful disciple.
Prayer (by Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 90)
Our God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
still be our guide while life shall last,
and our eternal home!
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