Coming in for a Landing

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:20-26 ESV).

Today Mary and I will be flying to Washington D.C. We will visit with Aaron for a little while before he leaves with his students for study abroad. D.C. is a wonderful place with so many historical places to see and visit. We love to go for a visit each year. However, flying in to Reagan National Airport is quite the challenge. I am told it is more complicated than at most other airports because of restricted airspace, noise regulations, and the fact that there’s just one runway long enough for large aircraft. In fact, until recently, all planes flying into DCA followed routes marked by small, World War II-era navigation towers on the ground. The towers send signals into the sky, creating “waypoints” for the planes to pass through during descent. The waypoints, which appear every 15 to 20 miles along the route, mark elevation and speed targets that pilots aim to hit. At a waypoint above Great Falls, Virginia, for example, planes are supposed to fly at about 7,000 feet and no more than 250 knots. Once you get close to the airport the tension increases. About 850 planes take off and land at DCA each day, usually spending no more than 30 seconds on the runway, often far less. I rarely take it for granted when I arrive safely on the ground and step off the plane! I was reminded of the high priestly prayer of Jesus of which a part is in our reading today. In it Jesus prays specifically for us. We are “the ones who will believe through their word.” We are the recipients of the blessing of the early disciples’ missionary work. Jesus prays that we will be with Him and see His glory. In other places we know that nothing can take us away from that position (cf. John 16, Romans 8). Well, the point is that no matter how many “landings” there might be when we take off from this life and land in the next, our pilot is an expert. He won’t lose one no matter how complicated the flight pattern. Just like I am not worried about landing at DCA, I’m sure not worried about landing in heaven with my Savior! That’s news that is truly good!