Gaining perspective: my passion for aviation and theological studies
This article appears in Vocations magazine (pictured at right), Spring 2022. Read this article in the magazine online or download the PDF. To subscribe, click here.
By Claire Lemiski
“The heavens declare the glory of God,” begins Psalm 19, “and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” As an airline pilot, I never cease to marvel at the beauty of creation as seen from the air – whether it is the promise of a new day at sunrise, or the sense of peace that comes with millions of stars dotting the night sky.
One day in February, we were waiting to take off and it was snowing; the world was grey. And yet, within a minute after departure we were above the clouds, and everything was golden as the sun began to set. Flying gives me a sense of perspective that I sometimes lose on the ground.
Not unlike flying, theological studies have also given me a new way of seeing things. My journey to Knox College started almost 10 years before I became a student here. As a student away at a flight school in British Columbia, I received a care package from my home congregation, Trafalgar Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario. The package included a note of encouragement from a church member named Monica, whom I had never met. When I returned to Ontario, Monica became both my elder and my friend. We sang together in the choir, and I continued to benefit from her encouragement as we talked about life and faith. I was heart-broken when she passed away a few years later, after a battle with cancer.
Throughout our conversations, Monica had often wondered if I had ever considered theological education. I value lifelong learning and saw it as a potential means to dig deeper into my faith, but I didn’t know how I could do that while also pursuing my vocation as a pilot.
Then I started attending Knox’s Tuesday afternoon community chapel services in 2016. As a pilot doing shift work, I was often away on weekends – but I was available for services on Tuesdays. As I met students, faculty, and staff, I discovered that there were options to study part-time and online. I enrolled the following academic year. One of my first assignments was to write a funeral homily. I wrote mine for Monica, as a way of honouring her deep and abiding faith, and her influence on me and this new journey on which I was embarking.
I was drawn to Biblical Studies, curious about the history, context, and interpretation of scripture, and eager to learn to read it in its original languages. While I admired the logic of Greek and the beauty of Hebrew, I also wrestled with ambiguities in meaning and syntax. In places where I expected black-and-white answers, I found myself simultaneously frustrated and fascinated by shades of grey. Yet, it was precisely in the complexities and nuances of my studies that I felt my faith come alive.
The global pandemic added another layer (or two) of complexity into my life. The airline I work for suspended operations and I was laid off for 18 months, along with thousands of others in the aviation industry. Being a pilot is not just a profession for me: it is a calling that engages my entire being. It is work that has potential to be both challenging and rewarding – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. In March 2020, I wondered where God was calling me, now that my wings were clipped. Before long, opportunities arose to serve the church and the community, through coordinating virtual choirs and delivering meals to Portland Place (a mission of The Presbyterian Church in Canada). But the thought of flying again was never far from my mind.
My dream to return to the sky became a reality when I began a contract as an international ferry pilot. One memorable trip happened at the end of February 2021, when we were delivering a brand-new aircraft from the de Havilland factory in north Toronto to its new home in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The route covered some 15,000 kilometers across Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and it took four days in the Dash 8-400 aircraft I was flying. On the second day, after tracking the eastern coastline of the Adriatic Sea down to Greece, I realized we were entering the region that is the backdrop of the Bible. Just after sunset, city lights started glowing on the horizon – that was Corinth, with Athens just a little further off. That night we landed at Iraklion on the island of Crete, which Paul visited on his voyage to Rome in Acts 27.
The next morning, we crossed the Mediterranean into Egyptian airspace. I was amazed at the stark contrast between the fertile land along the Nile River and the surrounding desert. I was taking a course on Ancient Israel at Knox, but I had asked to be excused from class that day because of my travels. As it turns out, Dr. Irwin was lecturing on Ancient Egypt, so he was happy to receive a few pictures I sent him “from the field” to include in his PowerPoint presentation.
That afternoon, we crossed over the Red Sea, which is perhaps one of the most iconic landmarks of the Old Testament, a symbol of how God rescued the Israelites out of bondage. As I looked out the window, I could not help but take a moment to reflect on God’s provision in my life, despite the difficulties of the past year.
Now four years after enrolling at Knox College, I am still a pilot who studies theology, but my perspective has changed. Rather than compartmentalizing these seemingly disparate parts of my life, I am learning to appreciate how they inform and complement each other. It is a joy to be able to respond to God’s call once again, in such a way that even my work is an act of worship.
Claire Lemiski is a Master of Theological Studies student at Knox College.
This article appears in Vocations magazine, Spring 2022. Read this article in the magazine online or download the PDF. To subscribe, click here.