SEPTEMBER 11

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22

Here it is the anniversary of September 11th again.  Of course the further we get from a traumatic event like 9-11, the more de-synthesized we are to what took place.  We begin to forget some of the tragedy or maybe we just stuff it in the deep recesses of our mind because it is so unpleasant.  Of course we don’t forget the people that died, but maybe we forget some of the little details, like how there was nothing on TV for days except news coverage of Ground Zero. The little details are ok to forget, but may we ever remember the change it brought to our country.

SO WE NEVER FORGET …

Here is an excerpt from an email that a man wrote just after escaping the North Tower where he worked on 9-11. He escaped and watched in horror while both towers collapsed.  He wrote:

My name is Adam Mayblum. I am alive today. I am committing this to “paper” so I never forget. SO WE NEVER FORGET. I am sure that this is one of thousands of stories that will emerge over the next several days and weeks…The responsible ones are in hiding somewhere on this planet and blast them for making me feel like this. But they should know that they failed in terrorizing us. We were calm. Those men and women that went up were heroes in the face of it all. They must have known what was going on and they did their jobs. Ordinary people were heroes too. Today the images that people around the world equate with power and democracy are gone but “America” is not an image it is a concept. That concept is only strengthened by our pulling together as a team. If you want to kill us, leave us alone because we will do it by ourselves. If you want to make us stronger, attack and we unite. This is the ultimate failure of terrorism against The United States and the ultimate price we pay to be free, to decide where we want to work, what we want to eat, and when & where we want to go on vacation. The very moment the first plane was hijacked, democracy won.

If anything, what happened on September 11, 2001 only served to make us stronger.  It certainly did not make us weak or tear us down the way the terrorist intended.  Even some of those who gave their lives to save others that day did so in the name of bravery and strength and the united bond that makes America special.  Sure, we are divided on some things, but when it comes to protecting our freedom and helping one another in tragedy, we are undivided. 

The best defense against those who would destroy our freedom or prosperity is to live out our democratic ideals without abandon and to practice generosity without fear of want. Or, in Isaiah's words, "Seek justice, rescue the oppressed."

What did we learn from September 11, 2001?

·      We Learned That You Can’t Kill Freedom

·      We Learned that Freedom Will Always Have a Threat

·      People learned that they need one another, and that death, pain and suffering can bring forth redemption, purpose and new life

Tear down our buildings and we will rise up again.

Take all of our money and we will be blessed again by our God.

Strike fear into our hearts and hope will spring forth from the wound.

Strike us while we our backs are turned and we will face you with a force of lions.

Scripture to Claim:
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!  Isaiah 31:1