Stories like yesterday's safe landing of a crippled jet in the Hudson River abound with illustrations, of course. Let's use this blog as a place to help each other find them. After chatting with another editor this morning, several possibilities came to mind.
The following is on-the-fly, uncorroborated thoughts that do not yet have the benefit of time and fact checking:
1. The Associate Press image of the escaped passengers standing on the wings of the floating plane captured my interest. (waiting, rescue, help, human needs)
2. I heard, but have not yet been able to corroborate the story, that after the river landing things got really chaotic in the cabin until someone yelled out that everything would be okay and to get the women and children out first. Do you have a link to an article that discusses this? (leadership, fear)
3. The geese that supposedly hit the engines and caused the problem. (life's smaller problems that turn into bigger problems, temptations)
4. Time magazine has an an interesting article on the river landing that links to a woman who wrote about those who survive disasters. (Survivors, disaster, end times, salvation)
5. In today's Pop Culture Roundup, Brian Lowery points out that the pilot of the plane apparently did everything by the book in how he handled the crisis. Wow, will that preach. (obedience, Bible, preparation, training, leadership)
For more preaching ideas concerning this news item, click here and here. Please post in the comments area any links to helpful articles on this story or your own ideas of how it can be used in preaching.
Posted by Brian Larson at 10:21 AM on January 16, 2009
Comments
A man named Brad Wentzell said: "We have a second chance in life."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/16/passenger.accounts/index.html
Posted by: Brian Larson on January 16, 2009
The following comment was left on a CNN story titled "God was certainly looking out for all of us" :
"Every time I see and/or hear this story about flight 1549 and the selfless, brave and careful judgement calls made while under 'severe' distress by Pilot Sullenberger...it absolutely brings tears to my eyes, yet greater joy to my heart! This is utterly amazing...just shy of what Governor Paterson has coined "Miracle on the Hudson".....I love you captain Sullenberg, I'd get on your flight any day! Raquel Scott"
The words "I'd get on your flight any day" say something important about trust. We can preach about what has God done to show we can "get on his flight" with confidence.
Posted by: Brian Larson on January 16, 2009