From Lockerbie to the Alps
At 11:00 in the morning I drive by the Scottish town of Lockerbie. While old memories are brought to mind, I’m doing a scan of the sky. On December 21, 1988, a plastic explosive device brought down a PanAm airliner. The explosion occurred at 7:02 pm at 9,400 meters above sea level, killing the 259 passengers and crew members. The wreckage fell on the small town of Lockerbie, killing 11 more on the ground. Conclusions were made that many of the passengers were fully conscious as they hurtled towards the earth.
At a hotel on the outskirts of London, I read the recent disastrous news of flight 4U-9525, leaving 150 dead.
Countless people in car accidents, wars, or in hospitals die every day. At times we hear about it and go on with our business. But when a plane crashes, its different. A cold shudder runs down our spine. Why? In the western world, many professionals are frequent flyers, and with few exceptions, we have all sent friends and relatives off at the airport. “Send us an email as soon as you arrive!” we tell our children. We want to know that there were no problems on the trip.
In the Lockerbie drama about two minutes elapsed from the time of the explosion to the time of the crash. How did the Airbus occupants over the alps feel as their machine frighteningly lost altitude and finally crashed into a mountain. Is this the end of my “life film?” In a short minute several decades race through the mind. Some passengers of the PanAm flight clung to crucifixes when they died.
Why does God allow such tragedies to happen? This question always seems to come to mind when disasters occur. But the real problem is not just the early death of innocent victims, but rather just death per se. Why is our life so limited? Why can’t we all be saved from suffering? If we reduce the Christian faith on mere humanism, we won’t find answers. We find consolation only in the promise of Jesus Christ, God in heaven will wipe away all our tears. /KDJ
