What comes next? “Five, four, three, two, one “ ???? “Thunderbirds are go !!!”
A brand new animated television series of Thunderbirds began yesterday evening on ITV1. Thunderbirds is the story set in the future of an amazing organisation called International Rescue. The five Tracy brothers Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John use amazing machines invented by their friend Brains to rescue people from earthquakes and floods and fires all kinds of terrible dangers. If somebody is trapped and nobody else can help, call International Rescue.
There are times when people wish that International Rescue was real and not just a story. But the sad reality is that there are all kinds of problems which ordinary people face day after day when not even International Rescue could help.
In the story International Rescue was founded owned Jeff Tracy who was incredible rich, rich enough to buy his own tropical island called Tracy Island, and build not only a luxurious house but all the remarkable machines called Thunderbirds to rescue people. Some people think all their problems would be solved if they just had enough money! But money is not the answer to everything!
In the story Brains is a genius, clever enough to invent the Thunderbirds and find ways for the brothers to rescue people from all kinds of impossible predicaments. Some people think that as long as they are clever enough they can think themselves out of any problems they face. But there are many situations where the best brains in the world cannot come up with a solution!
Every week the heroes the Tracy brothers will risk their lives to save other people. Some people think that human beings can overcome all challenges as long as they are generous and brave enough. But sadly that is not true. There are some problems which none of us can sort out for ourselves.
But the real stars of the programme are not the humans but the fantastic machines, the supersonic Thunderbird 1, the heavy carrier Thunderbird 2, the spaceship Thunderbird 3, the submarine Thunderbird 4 and the space station Thunderbird 5. Lots of people think that the problems of the world can be solved if we can only invent good enough machines. But, wonderful as it might seem, technology is not the answer to everything.
There are some problems which can’t be solved by money, or cleverness, or courage, or technology. There are some situations where even International Rescue would be powerless to help.

And that is what Easter is all about. Jesus was born and lived and died and rose again to rescue us all. To rescue us from ourselves, from our greed and selfishness and all the bad things we say and do which the Bible calls “sin.” Jesus died on the cross so that God will forgive our sins. And Jesus rose from the dead to give us eternal life, life in all its fullness which not even death can take away.
Colossians 1:13 says, “God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” (NLT)
The Message translation puts it this way. “God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.”
That is the message of Easter. Thunderbirds is just a made-up story. But the death and resurrection of Jesus are historical facts. They happened just as the Bible tells us.
He died that we might be forgiven. He died to make us good
That we might go at last to heaven saved by His precious blood.
Because Jesus lives we will live also! That is the wonderful good news of Easter Day!