The FIDO Effect
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV Cycle C
In the fall of 1940, the Battle of Britain was coming to a close. All summer, Germany's Luftwaffe and Britain's Royal Air Force had been skirmishing in the skies. Churchill had been orating over the airwaves urging patience and courage. In a speech before the House of Commons on June 18, 1940, as the Battle of Britain had been joined, he said: "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.' " France had just fallen to the Nazis, and many thought that Britain would follow. The battle for the control of the skies was crucial, for if Germany won, all of Britain would then be vulnerable to a ground assault by German forces. Churchill insisted, however, that "Hitler will have to break us in this island or lose the war."
Compounding the problem for the Brits was that often their airfields and runways were shrouded in fog making landings treacherous and deadly. Then, someone came up with what would be known as FIDO -- a Fog Intense Dispersal Operation. This system used intense heat to disperse the fog, enabling the Royal fliers to land safely. Seventy-five thousand gallons of petrol was spread on either side of the runways, and when the fog descended, the petrol was ignited, thus dispersing the fog to reveal the runway. The Brits prevailed. Nazi aggression was halted, and Britain was able to remain a major player in the war against them.
(Fast forward to the twenty-first century. A contemporary version of the FIDO effect often occurs on the Los Angeles freeways. When the marine fog moves in, the freeways are often clear in a pattern that, from the air, might look like the veins on the back of the hand. The heat generated by the freeways themselves and the motorists traveling on them serve to disperse the fog making travel safer -- or so I am told.)
In Elijah's Battle for Israel -- for the heart and soul of the faith -- he, too, called upon fire to disperse the fog of idolatry, faithlessness, and sin. The opposition that day on Mount Carmel was impressive. The Baalist priests were out in full force -- Elijah was outnumbered 450 to 1. The Baalists built their altar, sacrificed a bull upon it, and spent all the morning, and the better part of the afternoon imploring Baal to consume the sacrifice -- as per the rules of the contract Elijah had proposed. Finally, Elijah said, "Enough." He repaired the altar of the Lord, put some wood on it, along with a sacrificed bull, and as a final touch, trenched the altar and filled it with water. Then he waited for the fire to fall.
And it fell -- and consumed everything, even the water. Fire is a purifying agent. That day the house of Israel was purified. The fog dispersed; the people watching knew that the LORD was God.
My question is: Why wait for God to light the petrol? Not that God is out to get me, or to punish me for every misstep. But, the truth is, when we wander off the paths of righteousness, bad things can happen, or at least they're more likely to. I'd rather be on the right path where it's fog free.
Compounding the problem for the Brits was that often their airfields and runways were shrouded in fog making landings treacherous and deadly. Then, someone came up with what would be known as FIDO -- a Fog Intense Dispersal Operation. This system used intense heat to disperse the fog, enabling the Royal fliers to land safely. Seventy-five thousand gallons of petrol was spread on either side of the runways, and when the fog descended, the petrol was ignited, thus dispersing the fog to reveal the runway. The Brits prevailed. Nazi aggression was halted, and Britain was able to remain a major player in the war against them.
(Fast forward to the twenty-first century. A contemporary version of the FIDO effect often occurs on the Los Angeles freeways. When the marine fog moves in, the freeways are often clear in a pattern that, from the air, might look like the veins on the back of the hand. The heat generated by the freeways themselves and the motorists traveling on them serve to disperse the fog making travel safer -- or so I am told.)
In Elijah's Battle for Israel -- for the heart and soul of the faith -- he, too, called upon fire to disperse the fog of idolatry, faithlessness, and sin. The opposition that day on Mount Carmel was impressive. The Baalist priests were out in full force -- Elijah was outnumbered 450 to 1. The Baalists built their altar, sacrificed a bull upon it, and spent all the morning, and the better part of the afternoon imploring Baal to consume the sacrifice -- as per the rules of the contract Elijah had proposed. Finally, Elijah said, "Enough." He repaired the altar of the Lord, put some wood on it, along with a sacrificed bull, and as a final touch, trenched the altar and filled it with water. Then he waited for the fire to fall.
And it fell -- and consumed everything, even the water. Fire is a purifying agent. That day the house of Israel was purified. The fog dispersed; the people watching knew that the LORD was God.
My question is: Why wait for God to light the petrol? Not that God is out to get me, or to punish me for every misstep. But, the truth is, when we wander off the paths of righteousness, bad things can happen, or at least they're more likely to. I'd rather be on the right path where it's fog free.
