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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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A
Heroic Sacrifice One
of the worst snowstorms to hit Washington,
D.C. in decades buffeted the city on January 13,
1982. A considerable accumulation of snow brought
automobile traffic to The moderate to heavy snowfall temporarily closed the Washington National Airport, three-quarters of a mile away. Among the affected aircraft was a Boeing 737-222 bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was Air Florida Flight 90, comprised of 74 passengers including three infants and a crew of 5. About an hour and forty-five minutes after the scheduled departure time the plane took off from runway 36 at 3:59 p.m. The two-engine blue and green jetliner headed north and made a shallow left turn. The path of Air Florida Flight 90 presumed a 700-foot clearance over the bridge. However, at 4:01 p.m., a mere two minutes after leaving the runway, and unable to stay aloft, with nose raised and tail down, the ill-fated 737 crashed into the bridge. The aircraft struck seven occupied vehicles, shearing the roof from one automobile and crushing four other cars. It also ripped out 180 feet of railing before plunging between the bridge spans, through the ice to the bottom of the river, 30 feet deep. The plane vanished except for the tail section, which had separated from the body of the aircraft and floated. In an instant, four motorists were injured, four motorists were killed and all but six people on the plane were dead. Five passengers and one flight attendant climbed from beneath the icy waters on to the wreckage of the tail section. Rescue
was dependent on the gallant efforts of the crew of a
National Park Service helicopter. They lowered a line
with a ring on it to a balding man in his 50's with a
mustache. Instead of seizing the lifeline for himself,
he passed it to another survivor. This he did when the
helicopter returned four more times. However, when the
helicopter made its sixth trip to the wreckage, Arland
D. Williams, Jr. was gone! Mr. Williams died so that strangers could live! Another Man, approximately 2,000 years, gave His life so that strangers – including YOU and ME – could live. That man was ---JESUS CHRIST. “For
when WE were still without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die;
yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to
die. But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
(Romans 5:6-8). Life
through Christ is available to those who: believe
in Him (Acts 16:30-31), repent
of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confess
Jesus before Him (Romans 10:9-10), Jesus DIED so that we might LIVE – a truly heroic Sacrifice! In response to what He has done for you, will YOU not DIE to sin, be BURIED with Him in baptism, and RISE again to LIVE for Him? David A. Sargent, Minister Church of Christ at Creekwood * Louis Rushmore, http://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/1999/feb/page2.shtml To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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