November, 2010 Sketchings

“A RESURRECTION STORY!!”

Perhaps you, as did I, followed the rescue story of the thirty-three Chilean miners with rapt attention. It was tear jerking to see that first miner rescued. After 69 days, over half – a - mile underground, he was brought to the surface in a capsule so small that I couldn’t have fit into it. The capsule was aptly named “Phoenix.”

The part that is even more interesting is how they spent the first 17 days in darkness, knowing nothing about the efforts above ground to rescue them. They lived in an area no larger than 165 square feet. The shared meager rations under a strict system so that what little food and water available would last as long as possible.

During the 52 days in-between, well this is also a story. They were given supplies through a tube that was first used to see if they had survived. The tube was barely 5 inches in diameter. Inside a “carrier” of PVC pipe about 9 feet long, was used to shuttle food, drinks, messages and medicine. After some improvement even camp beds, communication equipment and clothing supplies to be sent to make the men's lives more comfortable. The name of this shuttle was “The Dove”.

Reports say that during that time the men organized themselves to live during their waiting. No one was allowed to isolate himself with his fears. Everyone exercised, did work for the good of all, and kept engaged in living so that they could be as healthy as possible when the time came for rescue. One report contained this sentence: "They functioned like a family - a mix of love, dependence, frustration. But there were never thoughts of turning on each other."

Do you hear the spiritual applications here? Do you hear a vision of what heaven, earth and church could look like? Do you see what we can learn?

In many ways, our life is life in this small space in the universe called “earth.” The “rescue work” we call salvation is going on above. We cannot know all that God is doing for us during our times of weakness, failure, and discouragement. But we know the power of the cross and that God won’t ever forget or give up on us.

During our “holding on” time, we’re connected to God through the Holy Spirit (its symbol is “the dove”). Through the power of the cross and the connections of the Dove/Spirit we re supplied with all the resources we need to live in faith and faithfulness. We do so in order to be spiritually ready and healthy for our days on earth, before we are ushered into heaven.

As for the rest of what we do, it is done in a different kind of dark threatening environment where sin has done its best to trap and destroy us. We can’t get out of here with our own strength. We wait instead with all the patience we can muster, keep hope alive, and trust the promise. Refusing to turn on each other, we encourage one another daily to keep the faith.

I praise God for the safety of the Chilean miners. I praise God even more deeply for God’s attentiveness to my life and the spiritual supplies brought from heaven by his Holy Dove to bless me, to sustain our faith community and to shine light into the dark corners where we live.