Read Isaiah 12:1-6
The Advent season is a time for joy in both the sacred and secular worlds. On December 10, 1993, that joy was literally shaken to its roots in Milwaukee. A tanker plane belonging to one of the storied and highly decorated 128th Air Refueling Wing exploded on the tarmac during routine maintenance, killing six airmen. Only a wing resting on part of an engine and the tail remained.
After the initial explosion, a plume of black smoke could be seen for miles. Two secondary explosions occurred as crews scrambled to move other planes out of harm’s way. Our close friend and tanker pilot was knocked off his office chair by the explosion. My immediate coworker came home that night to learn her nephew was one of the three men working in the plane when it happened.
The following Saturday a memorial service was held at the Arena. National Air Force officers, Wisconsin’s governor and state officials spoke, each with meaningful words and heartfelt emotion. Grief met with lament. Some closure was brought to the military family of the 128th and to our city.
The combined choirs closed the service with “The First Song of Isaiah.” It extensively quotes the Song of Moses and several Psalms. Set to music by Jack Noble White, he used this verse for the chorus:
Surely it is God who saves me;
I will trust in Him and not be afraid.
For the LORD is my stronghold and my sure defense;
and He will be my Savior.
(Based on Isaiah 12:2)
What an excellent assurance that the Lord is with us in the midst of our lives and, more critically, in the midst of our troubles. The song was restorative to all present as we experienced the very presence of the Lord.
To this day I am thankful for the inclusion of that song in the memorial service. The words restored the joy of Christmas for me in that season. Our joy is in the coming of the Messiah who was born and is profoundly in our midst during times of any trouble.
For Personal Reflection: Have you ever been in a season where the Lord lifted a burden from your shoulders as you praised Him in song? Have you been still before the Lord until you hear Him speak to your circumstance, especially in a time of loss?
by Tim Tesch
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