Hearing But Not Heeding

By: Tony Griffies

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The following story was taken this past week from yahoo.com's ìOddly Enoughî news.

Despite what residents may have seen on television, the state of Connecticut was not ordered evacuated Tuesday. State emergency management officials believe someone pressed the wrong button, and instead of running a test of the emergency alert system, midday television viewers and radio listeners were told that the state was being evacuated.

"There is absolutely no evacuation or state emergency," said Kerry Flaherty, of the Office of Emergency Management. "It was an erroneous message."

The department was investigating how the alert was sent. Officials said it is manually released to broadcasters. The error prompted Gov. M. Jodi Rell to issue a statement reassuring residents. "We are looking into the circumstances and will take every step necessary to make certain this type of problem does not reoccur in the future," she said.

State police said they received no calls related to the erroneous alert.

Living in the state of Florida, what with threat for severe weather, I wonder how seriously we would all have taken a similar warning to evacuate the entire state? Seriously-taken or not, how many of us would have at least called the police to find out if it was real? It's hard to imagine that no one took the warning seriously in Connecticut. People must have heard the warning, but no one heeded the warning.

"People must have heard the warning,but no one heeding the warning."

I'm reminded of the story of the rich man and Lazarus, in Luke 16:19-31. Both men died, but their destinations were very different. What's interesting about this passage in light of the story from Connecticut is the plea of the ìrich manî to have Lazarus go back to earth and warn the ìrich man'sî brothers. Abraham's response is, ìThey have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.î A second, more earnest plea from the ìrich manî for a warning to be given to his brothers brought a similar response. ìIf [the brothers] do no listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead.î

Everyone has already heard the warning. No, not the warning to evacuate; rather the warning to make their lives right with God. Yet how many people do not heed the warning? We all know people who have heard the good news of Jesus, but have chosen not to allow that news to change their own lives. Maybe someone coming back from the dead and proclaiming either the joys of heaven or the torment of hell would make a difference? Wait a minute! Doesn't the Christian fit the profile of someone who has been raised from the dead? ìWe were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.î (Romans 6:4) We who are Christians were once dead, but have been brought back to life through the glory of the Father in order that we might call others out of their graves of sin and into new lives!

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