An Unseen Rescue: The Gimli Glider

In 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 took off from Montreal bound for Edmonton. Nothing about the flight seemed unusual. There were no storms, no warning lights, no alarms.

What no one realized—because of a quiet chain of small errors—was that the aircraft had been fueled with only half the fuel it needed. Not because of recklessness, but because of a behind-the-scenes unit conversion mistake during a transition from imperial to metric measurements.

At 41,000 feet over Manitoba, both engines suddenly shut down. A Boeing 767—silent.

There was no miracle that broke the laws of physics. Instead, a series of “ordinary” details started to matter: the captain had glider experience, the crew calculated glide distance quickly, and someone remembered an abandoned airstrip in Gimli, Manitoba. Against all odds, the powerless jet glided safely to the ground. Every single person survived.

Only afterward could anyone see how the details fit together. That is how providence works. And that is exactly the kind of story Purim tells.

Unlike the appointed feasts, God Himself gave those directly to Israel; Purim emerges from a narrative in which God never speaks.

No miracles.
No visions.
No prophets.
No parted sea.
No pillar of fire.

And yet—His fingerprints are everywhere.

Purim teaches that the absence of visible miracles does not imply the absence of God. It shows how God protects His people even when He seems silent, and how the story of Esther anticipates Jesus—the true and greater Deliverer.

1) How Purim Was Instituted and Celebrated

A. Purim arises from the story of Esther

The narrative is dramatic and unforgettable: God’s people are scattered under Persian rule. Haman plots their extermination. Esther—a Jewish queen in hiding—risks her life to intercede. And God overturns the decree through a series of perfectly timed “coincidences.”

The feast’s name comes from pur—the “lots” Haman cast to choose the date of destruction (Esther 3:7). What Haman intended as a day of death became a day of deliverance.

B. Purim was established by Mordecai and Esther—not by Mosaic law

Esther 9:29–31 records that the people themselves established this annual celebration of God’s salvation. Purim is therefore:

• Biblical, but not part of the Sinai covenant
• Commemorative, not sacrificial
• A feast of remembrance, not a commanded “holy day” like those in Leviticus 23

C. Purim became one of the most festive days in the Jewish year

Based on Esther 9:20–22, Purim is marked by:

1. Public reading of the Megillah (Esther) — often with cheers and noisemakers to dramatize the defeat of evil.
2. Feasting and rejoicing — joy shared in community.
3. Gifts of food to friends (mishloach manot) — strengthening friendship and community.
4. Gifts to the poor (matanot la’evyonim) — deliverance overflowing into compassion.

D. Purim never depended on the Temple

Because Purim commemorates events in exile—after the sacrificial system was disrupted—it continued unchanged after AD 70. It remains family-centered, synagogue-centered, joy-centered, and non-sacrificial—very different from Leviticus 23, and uniquely suited to highlight God’s providence in ordinary life.

2) How Purim Points to Jesus

A. Purim reveals God’s providence—like the incarnation

In Esther, no miracle breaks natural law—yet God quietly orchestrates Esther’s rise, the king’s sleepless night, and the unraveling of Haman’s plot. God is most active when He seems most absent.

The coming of Jesus is similar: a census moves Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem (Luke 2), and violent opposition cannot stop God’s plan (Matthew 2). Purim trains us to see God’s hand in the ordinary.

B. Esther risked her life to save her people—Jesus gave His life to save the world

Esther said, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Jesus said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15). Esther interceded before a flawed earthly king; Jesus intercedes before the throne of heaven. Esther brought temporary deliverance; Jesus brings eternal salvation for people from every nation.

C. Purim celebrates the defeat of an enemy—Jesus defeats the greater enemy

Haman symbolizes the enemy who seeks destruction; Satan is the spiritual enemy who seeks our eternal ruin. Yet in the gospel, God defeats evil through what looked like defeat: the cross. “He destroyed the one who has the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).

D. Purim celebrates rest from enemies—Jesus gives eternal rest

Purim commemorates “rest from their enemies” (Esther 9:22). Jesus offers deeper rest: “Come to Me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Purim brings temporary relief; Jesus brings everlasting peace.

E. Purim prepares us to live between Christ’s comings

Today, God is active—yet often unseen. Jesus reigns—yet we await His return. Purim strengthens our faith in the God who works quietly, sovereignly, and faithfully until deliverance is complete.

3) What Purim Teaches Us About Trusting God Today

A. God is working—even when we do not see Him

Esther never names God, yet His providence saturates the book. Purim teaches us: Silence is not absence. Hiddenness is not inactivity.

B. God uses ordinary people with ordinary faithfulness

Esther was young, exiled, and hidden. Mordecai was overlooked. Yet God used faithfulness in ordinary places to shift the story of a nation.

C. Evil does not write the final story

Haman appears victorious—until he falls in a single day. Purim reminds us: evil is temporary, God is sovereign, and deliverance is certain.

D. God’s deliverance leads to joy and generosity

Purim ends in feasting, generosity, and care for the poor. Those rescued by God live open-handed lives— and Christians, saved by a greater deliverance, have even more reason for joyful generosity.