The right person for the job: An Easter assembly

To consider the value of qualifications.

by Janice Ross

Suitable for Key Stage 2

Aims

To consider the value of qualifications.

Preparation and materials

• Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 for images of Captain Chelsey B. Sullenberger 111, the flight path of flight 1549 and the plane on Hudson River (see section 2).

Assembly

1. Have you ever heard someone say, ‘That’s a job for the plumber’, or ‘the AA’, or even ‘the dentist’! Some jobs need experts.
   
   Has anyone heard of Captain Chelsey B. Sullenberger? His expertise hit the world news in 2009. (Show web image.)
2. On 15 January 2009 Captain Chelsey B. Sullenberger III, or ‘Sully’ as he is known to his friends, took his seat in the cockpit of the US Airways Flight 1549. This routine flight was travelling from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina. There were 155 passengers on board as well as a full crew.
   
   Six minutes after take-off the plane flew into a flock of Canada geese and was disabled by a complete loss of thrust from both engines.
   
   As Air Traffic Control raced to find a nearby airport and runway, Sully glided the plane on to the Hudson River adjacent to mid-town Manhattan. As boats and fire services raced to the rescue all the passengers and crew climbed on to the wings of the slowly sinking plane.
   
   All escaped without loss of life. It was the first time in 45 years that a major aircraft had crash-landed on water with no loss of life. (Show web image of ditched plane on the Hudson River.) It turned out that this plane was equipped with state of the art technology, which assisted the pilot in the very difficult art of crash-landing safely on moving water.
3. When this event was reported, the media of course focused in on the hero of the day, Captain B. Sullenberger. It was reported that Sully had over 40 years of flying experience. He had trained as a US Air Force fighter pilot and had served as an instructor, safety chairman and accident investigator. In other words, he was extremely experienced!
   
   Captain B. Sullenberger also co-directs the University of California’s centre for Catastrophic Risk Management. This centre researches ways to avoid airline tragedies. And he lectures on emergency landings! One of his colleagues said that there was no one more qualified to land that plane and to help the passengers survive a crisis.
   
   Sully was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.
4. As we approach the Christian festival of Easter, we learn that Jesus was also the right person in the right place at the right time for the job allotted to him.
   
   Ever since history began, the world has known selfishness, greed, corruption and wars. People of faith believe that this is because people have the potential to do both good and bad things.
   
   Christians believe that Jesus was sent by God over 2,000 years ago to live in the land of Palestine (or Israel, as it is called today). He lived a good life and showed us what God is really like.
   
   Christians also believe that only God’s Son could do that. Jesus was the right person for the job of showing us God.

Time for reflection

Imagine what it must have been like for the passengers on board the plane that day.

Would it have helped the passengers to know the credentials of their pilot?

How does it help us to know the credentials of Jesus?

Prayer
Dear God,
thank you for the skill of Captain Sullenberger.
Thank you that he was able to land that aeroplane miraculously with no deaths.
Thank you for Jesus, that he did everything necessary to bring us to you and your love.
Amen.

Song/music

'All in an Easter garden’ (Come and Praise, 130)