False Alarm

Matthew 25:3-4 -- "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps."

One of the most devastating floods in American history took place on May 31st, 1889. No where near the size of the damaged levies during hurricane Katrina, the little earthen dam near the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club nestled on the outskirts of Johnstown, PA ended up killing a staggering 2,209 people. The amazing and tragic thing about the Johnstown flood? The entire thing could have been avoided. 

The good people of Johnstown took weather seriously. They took to watching the skies and paid attention to most of the storms that passed through the valley - fully aware of the potential for flash flooding. The storms that rolled in on May 31st weren't any different from the hundreds of storms that  passed through before - so most people went about their normal daily lives in the manner to which they were accustomed. There HAD actually been some concerns voiced about the much neglected dam at the prestigious South Fork club, but those few complaints were largely ignored. Afte rall, the dam had remained secure through past floods. They saw no reason that this storm should produce different results.

A designer destination that offered the wealthy a place to play - to fish, hunt, hold parties, and hob-nob with the giant dollar bills resembling humans in tuxedos and fancy dresses - The South Fork Hunting & Fishing Club and it's owners were not interested in the bothersome task of maintaining the dam. Disaster was the farthest thing from their minds as they reveled in their giant industrial successes and the resulting growth of their wallets. I don't think tragedy by way of thousands of gallons of rushing water even crossed their minds for an instant. 

For that matter - it really didn't enter into the minds of Johnstown residents either. In fact, a small village near by wired a warning that the South Fork damn was likely to break as torrential rains continued to pour at the rate of one inch every ten minutes. But this warning had been issued before - more than once - and it was received with little caution - taken to be another false alarm. 

 A fatal reaction.

Most tragedies are not the result of any single mishap and the flood at Johnstown was no exception.  There were several horrible dominoes that had to fall into place to make the disaster what it was - but how different could the outcome have been had the flood warning NOT been ignored? What if the residents had been better prepared?

How many terrible events in history could have ended on a different note - had warnings issued been taken seriously?

The Titanic may have made it to port had the captain heeded the warning of icebergs in the path of his planned route and slowed the ship down to a speed that accommodated better maneuverability. The USS Shenandoah may not have fallen to it's demise had military brass heeded weather warnings and temporarily suspended the tour of it's finest air-ship -- effectively avoiding the storms that generated the lightning and turbulence that brought her down. The loss of the space shuttle Challenger might not have occurred had upper management at NASA heeded the warning from Morton-Thiokol that the O-rings used to seal off the right solid rocket booster failed numerous tests in the type of cold temperatures experienced the morning of her fatal launch.  The Deepwater Horizon explosion might have been prevented had the warning about too many safety shortcuts been taken into account - preventing one of the worst and longest oil leaks known in the business not to mention the loss of the eleven men who lived on the rig. One of the worst mining disasters in the last twenty-five years might have been avoided had management paid heed to the methane alarm in the Upper Big Branch Mine - avoiding the explosion that occurred killing 38 coal miners. 

You and I have also been warned. 

In Matthew, Jesus provides the parable of the Ten Virgins - at the end of which Jesus tells us to take heed, no man knows the hour. We don't know what tomorrow holds. We don't know what this afternoon holds for us - we CERTAINLY don't know when our Lord will return. In the excitement and anticipation of being able to finally go home, it might be easy for us to become short sighted. Jesus IS coming back - we SHOULD light our lamps and go greet him. We should also be prepared for a long wait - even though the wait for his arrival may be just around the corner. 

Taking a good, long look at the events that swirl around as the earth turns today, it's easy to hear the clock ticking - time slipping by at a rapid pace - the hour glass winding down to the last grain of sand. But now is not the time to rush out of the house without enough oil to light our lamps for the long haul. Like the foolish virgins in Jesus' parable, we may have to head back and refuel - only to return a closed door and a tragically missed opportunity. 

Uncle Bill Hyde - a fellow missionary, wonderful musician and my history teacher ages ago - once said: "people who do not pay attention to history are doomed to repeat it."  If we pay attention to our history - we can see that NOT paying attention to a strong warning can have devastating consequences. It would be wise if we payed attention to the warning in Matthew. No one knows the hour of our Lord's return. We should live as if it were tomorrow but prepare as if it will not be for a very long time.