Sermon for September 11th, 2011

Sermon from 11 September, 2011

In March of 1836, just outside Goliad Texas, 303 Texans were executed by Mexican General Santa Anna. People in Texas at the time were stunned and shocked to hear this news! To old-timer, born-and-bred Texans, the saying “Remember Goliad” still reverberates in their memories.

On that December morning in 1941, President Roosevelt addressed Congress – and the whole nation heard: “Yesterday, December 7^th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The US had entered World War II… no one was in doubt - the nation was now at war. That moment was seared into their hearts and minds!

“Where were you when you found out that President Kennedy was shot?” – a question that almost every one in the generation before mine can answer. They can answer it because it’s one of those moments with emotions sealed within it.

I can remember clearly the moment I heard the Gulf War started. In 1990-1991, I was a young Second Lieutenant and student at the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. We were in the secure building (the “SCIF” for you Intel weenies), putting into practice what we’d been learning – we were doing our map work, in the days when they had overlays – not sure if they still have those today. It was after lunch and we were joking, talking, but still centered on our work. Around 1:30 PM, 2LT Kerry Ellis entered the room and spoke four words I’ll never forget: “We just bombed Baghdad!” The room went silent. We all went into our hearts and minds – I don’t think we were all thinking and feeling the same thing, but for the rest of that day, no-one spoke frivolously. The carpool ride home lacked the normal joking banter or idle chit-chat. I remember that day.

And I can remember that Tuesday morning in September of 2001. I’d driven to church after dropping off my daughter at school. Once I arrived in the office, I saw that the other pastor I worked with had wheeled a TV into his office on one of those large TV trays. Because there was no cable there, the reception was in color, but grainy. On the screen I saw two buildings, and one had smoke coming out of it. Then I saw the second plane hit the other building. Then I saw the buildings collapse. Then the phones started ringing.

One of the calls I got was from a pastor friend who was reacting very emotionally – understandably so. I remember asking her if there would be someone there with her for the day. I knew she needed to be with someone.

That day I remember I did what I had to do. That afternoon I went to school, picked up my daughter and took her home. The other pastor was going to be leading an evening prayer service, so I went too. In the service, he read from the passage of ecclesiasts -

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather them together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

In the middle of this, he started crying. He had a hard time getting through this- and so did many others. It was then I looked at myself – I went inward, trying to touch base with where I was in all this. I’d recognized I felt nothing; I had no real emotions, just the sense that I’d had a job to do and I did it.

I bet you remember where you where when you heard about this attack! I bet you can remember what you were feeling. Did you feel anger? Anxiety? Fear? Helplessness? Despair? It’s been asked before – How were we to respond? … as Americans? …as a country? What should we have done… officially… or unofficially? What were we expected to do? What did we do? How were we supposed to be “good Americans”? Shop? “Don’t change your life!”, we were told.

Is any of this different than the question: How were we supposed to react… as Christians? As Christians, what is our response to this? And how different is that from our reaction as Americans? Or is it different? Or should it be?

We know things have changed as a country! Ten years out, we know things have changed! We’re more security conscious, we’re more suspicious, we’re more nervous perhaps. Has this changed us as Christians? Funny thing – the more Christian we become, the more centered we get in our humanity!

There have been lots of 10 anniversary stories about September 11^th, 2001 – on TV, on the radio, in magazines – everyone has them. Survivors are interviewed again, family members are talked to, there’s stories about survivor guilt from firefighters, how their lives have changed. One story showed a New York Rabbi in morning prayers – he would begin his day chanting. But he wasn’t chanting the psalms, or anything from the Torah. He chanted the recorded messages that people in the towers or on the planes left for their loved ones on machines or voice mail. “Honey, something terrible is happening… I don’t think I’m going to make it. I love you, take care of the children.” “Lori, I love you. I’m in the World Trade Center, and the building was hit by something. I don’t know if I’m going to get out. But I love you very much! I hope I’ll see you later. Bye.” ”Mommy, the building’s on fire. There’s smoke coming through the walls. I can’t breathe. I love you mommy – good bye.”

You can’t hear any of this without being impacted by all this! This is heart stuff! It puts things in perspective for sure!

Usually I as a pastor, as I prepare sermons, I ask myself, what’s the Gospel message in this? Today… what’s the Gospel message here? Today’s Gospel message may not be fun, or happy, or grace-filled, or leave us with a warm and fuzzy. It may not even be comforting. It’s sobering! It leaves us with questions for sure.

How are you living your life? What’s guiding you – your life? Where are you in life? What part of your life is left unlived? What anger do you hold? Against Islam? Or Middle Easterners? Against people in general, or in specific? … And where is God in all this?

10 years removed from this tragic event, the memory still rings loudly in the hearts and minds of many. What’s this supposed to do?

I’ll tell you what it’s supposed to do! Bring us together! Cement our bonds of humanity! If we seek justice… then let it rise from our humanity - let us seek justice, not revenge! Our humanity must prevail… and we will find our faith! Our hearts must be open… and we will find God!

I’m not generally a bleeding heart liberal, but, as a person of faith I must say, the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is found in the very human lives of our brothers and sisters. It is there we find the face of Christ! Let the memory of the tragedy of September 11^th, 2001, bring us to faith in a living God!

Amen.