Remembering 9/11
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series VI, Cycle A
Object:
"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance," or as the King James has it, "You shall observe it as an ordinance forever." The establishment of the Passover, one of the most important of all Jewish festivals. And they have observed it forever. Every year since, and down to our own day, Jewish families have gathered at the traditional Seder meal. The patriarch of the household asks the children, "What makes this night different than all other nights?" The youngsters respond with the Exodus story of God's miraculous deliverance of their people. Some things are important to remember.
We understand that. I wonder if in any American home on September 11 anyone will ask, "What makes this day different from all other days?" We know why someone might.
September 11 was a horrible day. Most of us can recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard. We were glued to whatever television sets were handy. I have no idea how many times we saw the second plane fly into the south tower, or how many times we saw them collapse. Gracious, plenty; too many for lots of people.
Our national response was, for the most part, wonderful. We saw true heroism in the work of New York's police and firefighters. I doubt that any of us not directly related had given much thought to the life-threatening danger these public servants lived with day in and day out until that day. On September 11 we saw their courage and dedication, and it was a marvel to behold.
As the perpetrators were identified, we quickly put things into perspective. Yes, there were a few isolated incidents of hate crimes committed against people who appeared to be from the Middle East, but, for the most part, people understood that these horrific acts had been the work of a fanatical fringe -- to tar all of Islam with the brush of Al-Qaeda would be the same as tarring all Christianity with the brush of the Ku Klux Klan. We reacted better than that.
There was a wonderful outpouring of support for the victims and their families. Remember the long lines at the blood banks? The billions of dollars ungrudgingly given to charities who would provide assistance, in some cases more money than they knew what to do with? Americans are a generous people. We already knew that. And not only generous to our own; we are generous with the whole world. That is why the questions came later that day: "Why would they do such a thing? Why do they hate us so?"
One of the pleasant surprises of 9/11 was the flood of sympathy from around the world. Remember? Even nations we would normally not think of as friends stood in solidarity with us and condemned the attacks. The footage shown on television of some young Palestinians celebrating the news was played over and over again, and as it was, we began to notice that folks in the background were not celebrating at all. It turned out that there was far more footage of people around the globe reacting with shock and horror strained through tears.
As the day wore on, the numbness we had felt at the first word of the attacks began to wear off. The tragedy was touching us at the very depths of our being. We heard the reports of phone conversations from the upper floors of the Trade Center towers, or the cell phone calls from United flight 93, not to express fear or anger, but simply to say, "I'm stuck up here; I don't think I'm gonna make it ... I love you ... Take care of the children." We wanted to talk with our own families. We appreciated in a new way how fragile life really is.
No doubt that is why church attendance took such a jump in the days following the tragedy. Even people who, for every other day of their lives were blissfully irreligious suddenly found themselves in church ... prayer services that night, memorial services on the Friday following, Sunday worship.
Suddenly we heard again the words of our lesson. God's instruction to Israel about another important day: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance." Why? To insure that the nation remembers who it is and whose it is.
Remembering 9/11 can help us do the same. We remember we are Americans, but we also remember we are Christians, and that says something about how to respond to attacks:
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" (Romans 12:19).
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink" (Romans 12:20).
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
Remembering 9/11. It will be painful. But, by the grace of God, it will be helpful.
We understand that. I wonder if in any American home on September 11 anyone will ask, "What makes this day different from all other days?" We know why someone might.
September 11 was a horrible day. Most of us can recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard. We were glued to whatever television sets were handy. I have no idea how many times we saw the second plane fly into the south tower, or how many times we saw them collapse. Gracious, plenty; too many for lots of people.
Our national response was, for the most part, wonderful. We saw true heroism in the work of New York's police and firefighters. I doubt that any of us not directly related had given much thought to the life-threatening danger these public servants lived with day in and day out until that day. On September 11 we saw their courage and dedication, and it was a marvel to behold.
As the perpetrators were identified, we quickly put things into perspective. Yes, there were a few isolated incidents of hate crimes committed against people who appeared to be from the Middle East, but, for the most part, people understood that these horrific acts had been the work of a fanatical fringe -- to tar all of Islam with the brush of Al-Qaeda would be the same as tarring all Christianity with the brush of the Ku Klux Klan. We reacted better than that.
There was a wonderful outpouring of support for the victims and their families. Remember the long lines at the blood banks? The billions of dollars ungrudgingly given to charities who would provide assistance, in some cases more money than they knew what to do with? Americans are a generous people. We already knew that. And not only generous to our own; we are generous with the whole world. That is why the questions came later that day: "Why would they do such a thing? Why do they hate us so?"
One of the pleasant surprises of 9/11 was the flood of sympathy from around the world. Remember? Even nations we would normally not think of as friends stood in solidarity with us and condemned the attacks. The footage shown on television of some young Palestinians celebrating the news was played over and over again, and as it was, we began to notice that folks in the background were not celebrating at all. It turned out that there was far more footage of people around the globe reacting with shock and horror strained through tears.
As the day wore on, the numbness we had felt at the first word of the attacks began to wear off. The tragedy was touching us at the very depths of our being. We heard the reports of phone conversations from the upper floors of the Trade Center towers, or the cell phone calls from United flight 93, not to express fear or anger, but simply to say, "I'm stuck up here; I don't think I'm gonna make it ... I love you ... Take care of the children." We wanted to talk with our own families. We appreciated in a new way how fragile life really is.
No doubt that is why church attendance took such a jump in the days following the tragedy. Even people who, for every other day of their lives were blissfully irreligious suddenly found themselves in church ... prayer services that night, memorial services on the Friday following, Sunday worship.
Suddenly we heard again the words of our lesson. God's instruction to Israel about another important day: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance." Why? To insure that the nation remembers who it is and whose it is.
Remembering 9/11 can help us do the same. We remember we are Americans, but we also remember we are Christians, and that says something about how to respond to attacks:
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" (Romans 12:19).
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink" (Romans 12:20).
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
• We are Christians who remember the word of the Lord that says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
Remembering 9/11. It will be painful. But, by the grace of God, it will be helpful.
