Easter Sunday
SERMON FOR EASTER SUNDAY
It’s referred to as “The Lost Squadron.” How do you lose something like a WWII Air Corps squadron? We will have to blame it on the weather. The objective is to fly from North America to Great Britain, following a northern Atlantic pattern. A storm, however, takes them off-course. Fuel levels become critical, and as a result, this 1942 mission will end prematurely. The six P-38s and the two B-17s are forced to land on a relatively flat section of the Greenland ice-cap. The crew members are rescued three days later, leaving the planes behind to be written off as “lost.”
After fifty years have passed, these planes will begin to receive a renewed measure of attention. A WWII enthusiast named Roy Shoffner decides to team up with an aviation specialist named Bill Cardin, in an effort to locate and potentially recover one of the lost aircraft. It’s a tall task, considering the fact that fifty years have gone by. Each year would see a period of melting, followed by a period of re-freezing. This means that the planes will sink into the ice, eventually reaching a depth of 268 feet. According to the scanning process, one of the P-38s appears to be largely intact. The decision is made to focus upon this particular aircraft—an aircraft that will soon be renamed “The Glacier Girl.”
They drill down, and initiate a “piece-by-piece” recovery. These pieces are then transported back to the states (to Middlesboro, Kentucky), where they can proceed with the reassembly. The engines are brought back to life in 2001, and then in October of 2002, the P-38 will make a triumphant return to the “blue yonder.” And it has been flying ever since. You could say that the Glacier Girl is back where she belongs—in the sky above. Keep in mind, it’s designated as an aircraft—emphasis on the adjective “air.” Its rightful place is in the air; not on the ground or submerged within a bedding of ice.
Now perhaps we can shift from the one odyssey to another odyssey. What has been said about the Glacier Girl can also be said about the person of Jesus Christ. He belongs to Heaven. He is, in effect, “grounded” when he takes his place within the manger (see Luke 2:7). If that wasn’t enough, he is essentially “submerged” when they seal his crucified body within the tomb (see John 19:40-42). By any reasonable standard, he would have to be considered “lost.” Similarly, by any reasonable standard, the planes left behind on that ice-cap would have to be regarded as “lost.”
Remember this, however: there are those who choose NOT to be reasonable. Case in point: Roy Shoffner. Case in point: Bill Cardin. And for that matter, case in point: the God of the Bible. Jesus will emerge from his tomb. Forty days later, he will ascend into Heaven (see Acts 1:3-11). Therefore, a parallel can be drawn between the odyssey of Jesus and the odyssey of the Glacier Girl. And yet, for the resurrected P-38, it’s a reserved glory. It’s strictly a victory for the Glacier Girl and those who had rallied around her. With Jesus, we actually get to participate in both the odyssey and also the subsequent glory. We are being invited, through the establishment of sacraments like Baptism and the Eucharist. In this way, a bond is formed.
Potentially, his odyssey can be your odyssey. Simply maintain your bond with Jesus. By doing so, you will be following the path of hope. It’s a hope that refuses to remain grounded. Yes, the path of hope can lead you to ground level, or even to a place beneath ground level. But ultimately, you will be trending in an upward direction—toward the clouds, and furthermore, beyond the clouds.
