More on Miracles and the Hudson River Rescue

A few days back I posted on the rescue of the crew and passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 from the Hudson River in New York. Response in the combox was interesting: commenting readers called me insightful, a miracle-downer, wise and a pastor of little faith!

Jumping off that post I wrote the following piece which appears as the Voices of Faith column in the January 22 edition of The Concord Journal.

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The "Miracle on the Hudson"

How ‘bout that “miracle on the Hudson” -- a hot news item floating in frigid waters, hailed by headlines and readers alike as a miracle.

But, was it? Was it a miracle?

By primary definition, a miracle is an event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and therefore is understood to be supernatural in origin - an act of God. Secondary definitions recognize that common usage often misapplies “miracle” to events that amaze us or for which we are deeply grateful - but which are, indeed, fully accounted for by the laws of science and nature and by human activity.

I stand with those amazed by what happened in the Hudson and I join those who are deeply grateful that all the passengers and crew members survived - but this wasn’t a miracle.

Nothing of New York’s good news begs a supernatural origin, an act of God, for explanation.

A well-trained, experienced cockpit and cabin crew, a cooperative complement of passengers, alert ferry crews on the river and other rescue personnel all worked together to achieve the remarkable feat of landing a malfunctioning jet in the Hudson and successfully escorting everyone on board to safety - all by the grace of God.

I write, "all by the grace of God" because every blessing finds its source in the goodness of God. No gift or talent is ours apart from God. Expertise in aviation, an attentive flight crew, human courage and bravery, prayer, amateur and professional rescue efforts, passengers caring for one another amidst chaos - all of this was drenched in the grace of God long before the plane or anyone on it was wet with the river’s waters.

Still nothing in the story of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 needs to rely on scientifically inexplicable divine intervention for explanation.

This is not to minimize a wonderful story or to downplay the expertise and excellent work of so many. Those who did their jobs so remarkably well are more than deserving of the praise they've received. By all means let's lift up what human beings are capable of doing when they work well and selflessly together - and let’s thank heaven for it. As the hymn sings, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”

Better, perhaps, to leave it to theologians to argue whether, when and how God contravenes the laws of nature, supernaturally intervening in our lives: whether the author of nature’s laws sometimes chooses to break them on our behalf.

Rather than focus on exceptions to (nature’s) rules, we might do better to first refresh and deepen our awareness of how nature and the human experience are suffused with God’s ever-present grace alive within us and in all our relationships.

Isn’t it wiser to reserve a word like "miracle" for those situations when it accurately applies? Too generous an application of such a term may diminish our appreciation of divine intervention should it occur and dull us to the presence of the divine alive in our midst in the ordinary, in the day-to-day.

When we name something like the Hudson event a miracle, then God enjoys a day or two in the headlines. But inaugural and Super Bowl news have already eclipsed the Divine Air Traffic Controller’s “15 minutes of fame.” Sic transit gloria mundi.

Let’s ponder the fact that even with 5,000 planes flying over the U.S.A. at any given moment, no passengers died in a U.S. carrier accident in 2007 and 2008. In those two years, commercial airliners carried 1.5 billion passengers on scheduled airline flights. Imagine how many people, graced by God in talent, dedication, ability, expertise and prayer were responsible for such a safety record.

Why, some folks might even call that a miracle!

-ConcordPastor