We might have heard of the mid-air tragedy that claimed the life of a 73 year old British passenger on a Singapore Airlines flight between London and Singapore on May 21, 2024. The sad news comes with a clear warning: Wear your seatbelts. Always. The airplane had been cruising at 37,000 feet without incident; breakfast was being served. Singapore Airlines is rated as one of the best and safest international airlines among 13 competing airlines in the world. 10 hours into the flight, turbulence hit. Air masses unseen by any conventional methods of detection form quickly within seconds causing turbulence that shakes an aircraft as it passes through it. Most of the times, we experience a little “rough patch” and pass through it without incident. This one was massive. Three seconds before it hit, the seatbelt signs flashed on, but far too late to allow anyone to take action. In the next three minutes, the aircraft was raised 2,000 feet from its original height, and then dropped 6,000 feet downwards, sending people and anything not anchored down flying into the ceiling. More than 30 of the 221 crew and passengers were injured, some severely. One person died. You might want to know if you’re going to travel soon that such injuries do occur as a result of turbulence. But more than 90% of injuries take place among crew members who are usually not wearing their seatbelts. The remaining 10% are passengers…who, yes, don’t have their seatbelts on. This particular tragedy was likely exacerbated by the fact that everyone was relaxed with a safe airline, in an aircraft that had been aloft for 10 hours without incident…and they were having breakfast.
As I read the details that continue to emerge from investigations into the incident, it became clear to me that the single most preventative action that anyone could take was to leave your seatbelt on. “Even with a seatbelt loosely around your thigh, a turbulence of that force would not have much more impact on you than a spilt coffee,” one aviation analyst stated. That’s interesting. While it is not something to wish on anyone, going through a turbulence of this magnitude is, as another expert says, “an increasing possibility because of global changes in weather patterns.” I recall the Apostle Paul’s words to Timothy, “In the last days, troubled times will come.” Curiously, the Greek word chalepos rendered here as “troubled” could easily be translated as “turbulent”. To be certain, Paul wasn’t referring to air turbulence but to a condition in our world where everything not tied down is sent flying into the air. Up becomes down. Right becomes wrong. Morality is declared immoral, and immorality is hailed as the right way to be. We are entering the chalepos of our day not because of the changes in global weather patterns but because the Day of the Lord is fast approaching. In fact, turbulence in life does not have to occur only in the larger realm of societal change. Our personal world can easily be thrown into disarray as life’s forces collide. Our relationships, our security, our time are turned around, and often only with minimal warning, we feel like we’re in a 6,000 foot freefall. But in the midst of turbulence, do we know what our “seatbelt” is? The writer of Hebrews says, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” – the refuge of Jesus Christ, knowing Him, walking in Him, placing our hope in Him. Next time you sit in an aircraft or even in the car and reach over for the seatbelt, remember how to live – anchored in Christ, secure in Him. Our days of chalepos are increasing. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus.
Just Church
This is what Just Church seeks to do – to point us to Jesus “The vision of Just Church is to establish a church in just the way Christ called the church to be – true to His Word, loving Him, loving one another, and loving the lost.”
