RUSH, RUSH, RUSH

Recently an Air France airliner experienced a tragic ending going down in the Atlantic Ocean and killing all the passengers and crew on board. Some weeks later the search and rescue teams are still looking for any remains and sifting all the wreckage possible from the ocean. Submarines and surface ships are combing the “grid” trying to get a signal from the airliners “Black Box” which will help them determine what caused the fatal accident.

First it should be said that our prayers and sympathies are extended to all the families of the passengers and crew of this flight. This incident so pointedly reminds us that not only are we not assured of life tomorrow, we are also not assured of having those we love with us. Make the most of every mundane moment you can spend with those you love and make sure they know you love them.

However, that is not the point of this message today. The past failed action and now frantic action of the airline industry is astonishing. While they do not know for sure what the problem with the Air France flight was it is suspected that a particular sensor that calculated air speed failed and caused confusion in the control of the plane in what was probably a major storm. If this was a normal incident then we could accept mechanical failure, as hard as it might be to accept, as one of the risk of transportation. However, it is reported that the maker of the sensor for more than two years has warned the industry that the original sensors needed to be replaced.

We can point an accusing finger at Air France for not heeding this warning and replacing the sensors in some planes but not all of them. The excuse of “we just had not got around to that plane yet” will not suffice. But it is not just Air France. Reports this morning is that all airlines are “hustling to replace the old sensors” in their planes now. Air France happened to be the unfortunate carrier that got caught.

This reminds me of a parable that Jesus told in Matthew 25 about ten virgins who were to be the wedding party for a very special wedding. They were warned that the bride groom would be arriving sometime in the very near future. Some of those virgins took the warning seriously and were prepared. Others thought they could get away with not taking the warning seriously. They got caught.

The parable and this incident reminds us that we have been warned about various things that we must take seriously. Number one is that we are not guaranteed tomorrow to accept the gift of God’s love and salvation. We must be prepared by doing that today. If you have not accepted the fact that God takes you as you are then please do so right now. Number two is that while we may have accepted the salvation of Christ we may not have accepted His call to us and are still just doing our own thing. I do not believe that anyone can find the peace in life they truly want until they are in the Will of God. What is that for you? I don’t know, but you do!

I believe there will be a time when like the unprepared virgins and the airline industry many are going to be caught trying to do in this moment what they should have done yesterday. Will you be one of those?