Grace and Glory
25/05/13 05:09
United Airlines flight 4909 was running late last night. In fact it was more than a full hour late. I heard that there was an unexpected mechanical problem with the Dash 8. The Dash 8 is now produced by Bombardier, but most pilots still refer to the company as DeHavilland. DeHavilland Canada produced some memorable airplanes during the Second World War, but among pilots the company is remembered for the DHC-2 Beaver: the iconic bush plane of the north. They went on to build a larger version, dubbed the Otter and then added an engine to make the twin Otter. From there the airplanes kept getting bigger. The DHC-8 is a very successful commuter airplane, produced in several different lengths. The turboprop engines are reliable and the airplane is fairly quick. It is also able to operate out of shorter runways and at airports with higher altitudes than the fanjet commuter planes. As a result there are a lot of them in service in the mountain west. For many years they were the preferred way to get skiers into the high resorts such as Sun Valley, Aspen and the like. But last night the United Express Dash 8 needed some attention before it could roll back from the terminal in Denver and head towards Rapid City.
Normally I wouldn’t notice such an event, but Susan was on the flight, returning from a visit with her sisters, niece and nephews in Missoula, Montana. In our hub and spoke airline world, the quickest distance between two points is rarely the shortest distance. So I was waiting at the airport longer than usual last night. With modern cell phones, I was aware that the flight was running late. I had received messages from Susan and I have a phone application that allows me to track regularly scheduled airlines. I had earlier entered the flight numbers into my phone so I could see if she would make her connection, etc.
Not wanting to go into the paid parking area too soon (the first 20 minutes are free), I was parked in a free lot at the edge of the airport called the cell phone waiting area. The lot is near the top of the hill and affords a beautiful view of Rapid City. Last night the weather was beautiful. There was just a slight breeze. The windy weather we have been experiencing had let up. It was a beautiful evening, so I got out of the car and watched the sunset and the moonrise from a beautiful vantage point. After a week of running ragged, it was such a gift to just stand in the open area and ride the world from day tonight.
If you have been thinking that the moon is a little brighter lately, you are not just imagining it. The moon really is brighter. It is nearing perigee. Tonight the moon will past its closest point in its orbit around the earth and the perigee coincides with the full moon. The last time the moon was this close was in March of 2011. The moon not only seems larger, it also seems brighter because of its close approach to the earth.
The night sky is best viewed far away from the lights of the city, and the airport isn’t the best place to get away from light pollution, but the cell phone lot doesn’t have parking lot lights, so I got a good view.
My mind wandered south about 35 miles to the edge of the badlands on the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation. On Red Shirt Table young adults had been arriving all day long. They are setting up a tend encampment and as I was watching the moonrise, they were having evening prayers together. I’m not exactly sure where the prayers were being held, but I imagine that they were roughly facing East, because that is where the view of the badlands and the creek running below is the best. Pleasant weather and a spectacular moonrise make for a great greeting as 500 guests gather. I’m sure that they were feeling well fed. I have been a part of some of the preparations and I watched as mountains of food were taken down so that everyone would get enough to eat. I imagine that many of the guests are city dwellers and that camping out on Red Shirt Table is going to be quite an experience for them. I was glad that it wasn’t windy, as some of them are probably less than experienced in pitching tents. A big wind might have scattered tent parts across the badlands.
So I said a prayer of gratitude for the beautiful weather as I stood outdoors and watched the light fade in the west and the bright moon rise in the east. Soon the airplane came into sight and it was time to greet Susan, load her suitcase into the car and head for home. We needed to get our sleep. This morning we head out to Red Shirt Table to join the young people for morning prayers, provide a bit of help in the childcare area during the morning and share in noontime prayers before coming back into town for our regular duties and preparations for tomorrow’s service at our church.
When we pause to take a breath and look out at the world, God provides us with the gift of beauty at every turn. The power of the Holy Spirit is literally as close as our next breath. The glory of creation surrounds us. And, all too often, we take it all for granted. We fail to see the incredible power that surrounds us at every moment. People who think that miracles are a disruption of the natural order aren’t seeing what is really going on. The miracles of grace and beauty and peace are offered all around us. The natural order is itself miraculous. Miracles are the norm, not the exception.
Some time ago I was at a planning meeting for the gathering on Red Shirt Table. Robert Two Bulls boldly declared, “The weather will be beautiful.” I was initially skeptical. I know that we can get high winds, spring thundershowers, and even hail this time of the year. What I didn’t remember is that even the awesome storms that cross the prairies are beautiful. Robert could make his declaration because it was true. Whatever weather comes, it will be beautiful.
Grace abounds. Glory surrounds. It is up to us to see it.
Normally I wouldn’t notice such an event, but Susan was on the flight, returning from a visit with her sisters, niece and nephews in Missoula, Montana. In our hub and spoke airline world, the quickest distance between two points is rarely the shortest distance. So I was waiting at the airport longer than usual last night. With modern cell phones, I was aware that the flight was running late. I had received messages from Susan and I have a phone application that allows me to track regularly scheduled airlines. I had earlier entered the flight numbers into my phone so I could see if she would make her connection, etc.
Not wanting to go into the paid parking area too soon (the first 20 minutes are free), I was parked in a free lot at the edge of the airport called the cell phone waiting area. The lot is near the top of the hill and affords a beautiful view of Rapid City. Last night the weather was beautiful. There was just a slight breeze. The windy weather we have been experiencing had let up. It was a beautiful evening, so I got out of the car and watched the sunset and the moonrise from a beautiful vantage point. After a week of running ragged, it was such a gift to just stand in the open area and ride the world from day tonight.
If you have been thinking that the moon is a little brighter lately, you are not just imagining it. The moon really is brighter. It is nearing perigee. Tonight the moon will past its closest point in its orbit around the earth and the perigee coincides with the full moon. The last time the moon was this close was in March of 2011. The moon not only seems larger, it also seems brighter because of its close approach to the earth.
The night sky is best viewed far away from the lights of the city, and the airport isn’t the best place to get away from light pollution, but the cell phone lot doesn’t have parking lot lights, so I got a good view.
My mind wandered south about 35 miles to the edge of the badlands on the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation. On Red Shirt Table young adults had been arriving all day long. They are setting up a tend encampment and as I was watching the moonrise, they were having evening prayers together. I’m not exactly sure where the prayers were being held, but I imagine that they were roughly facing East, because that is where the view of the badlands and the creek running below is the best. Pleasant weather and a spectacular moonrise make for a great greeting as 500 guests gather. I’m sure that they were feeling well fed. I have been a part of some of the preparations and I watched as mountains of food were taken down so that everyone would get enough to eat. I imagine that many of the guests are city dwellers and that camping out on Red Shirt Table is going to be quite an experience for them. I was glad that it wasn’t windy, as some of them are probably less than experienced in pitching tents. A big wind might have scattered tent parts across the badlands.
So I said a prayer of gratitude for the beautiful weather as I stood outdoors and watched the light fade in the west and the bright moon rise in the east. Soon the airplane came into sight and it was time to greet Susan, load her suitcase into the car and head for home. We needed to get our sleep. This morning we head out to Red Shirt Table to join the young people for morning prayers, provide a bit of help in the childcare area during the morning and share in noontime prayers before coming back into town for our regular duties and preparations for tomorrow’s service at our church.
When we pause to take a breath and look out at the world, God provides us with the gift of beauty at every turn. The power of the Holy Spirit is literally as close as our next breath. The glory of creation surrounds us. And, all too often, we take it all for granted. We fail to see the incredible power that surrounds us at every moment. People who think that miracles are a disruption of the natural order aren’t seeing what is really going on. The miracles of grace and beauty and peace are offered all around us. The natural order is itself miraculous. Miracles are the norm, not the exception.
Some time ago I was at a planning meeting for the gathering on Red Shirt Table. Robert Two Bulls boldly declared, “The weather will be beautiful.” I was initially skeptical. I know that we can get high winds, spring thundershowers, and even hail this time of the year. What I didn’t remember is that even the awesome storms that cross the prairies are beautiful. Robert could make his declaration because it was true. Whatever weather comes, it will be beautiful.
Grace abounds. Glory surrounds. It is up to us to see it.