This past Sunday was, of course, the 15th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It's difficult to believe that this much time has passed, it seems like only yesterday that we collectively watched and listened to this incredible horror as it occurred. Most of us who were adults at the time remember vividly where we were when we heard the news.
This week I've actually touched upon this topic in three separate sermons. First on Sunday, then again on Monday during a shorter version given at Shady Oaks Retirement Center, and again today in another, even more, shorten version at Opportunity Living. At Opportunity Living today I visited with one of the staff and he told me that at the time of the attack he was in the military and working in Washington. Normally, his office was in the Pentagon and in the area that was struck that awful day, but, several months before the attack they started a remodeling project in the building which affected his area and the offices in which he worked were moved to another building. He did, however, know several of the service men and women that perished that day. It was humbling to talk to him and I blessed him for his service.
I've attached the video of the sermon, a link to a PBS documentary on 9/11 that is very good, as well as the manuscript for the sermon.
I pray that this day finds you all very well and very, very blessed.
In His Love & Care,
Roy
Manuscript of the Sermon given by Pastor Roy Karlen at Woodlawn Christian Church on 9/11/16
"Fifteen Years Ago Today"
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
This is known as 'The Prayer For Peace' by St. Francis of Assisi.
Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Most of us still remember where we were when we first heard on the radio or saw on television the reports of the attack. On that morning, my wife Gail and I were getting ready to leave for work at the Gallery. As I walked by the television, I saw the report of the first plane hitting the tower. Stopping to watch, we like everyone else in the Nation and much of the World were left wondering just what had happened. I doubt many of us were thinking terrorism at that moment, but then the second plane appeared and we all saw it hit the other tower on live television... and I believe we nearly all thought or even some cried out “Terrorists”!
A major terrorist attack on US soil, it had never happened before... at that moment our 'safe' world here at home was forever shattered. No longer were terrorist attacks something that happened overseas, now they could and had happened here in the US. Suddenly, our world had changed... for those of us who remember it, it was a powerful moment. Let us pause for a few moments to remember our emotions, our thoughts and our fears at that very time.
(pause for reflection)
It's now fifteen years later and to put that into perspective, the young people who started their first year of High School this year, were not even born yet. The world seemed to change in the flash of an eye for us older folks, but for the very young then and those that have been born since, the world is as they have always known it to be... that in and of its own is horribly sad.
I'd love to be able to say that the world is less dangerous today, or even only as dangerous as it was that awful day... but, the sad truth is it is even more dangerous; and I don't see the world's leaders doing what needs to be done or even having the conversations that need to be had to make the world safer. Though for a short time after 9/11 the powers that be here in the US seemed to put their differences aside, but it did not last long... not long at all. Political correctness along with individual and party political and financial gain have once again taken the main-stage. Sad to say, it's become another can that we are kicking down the road and dooming our children and grandchildren to have to come to task with some day in the looming future.
I'm certain that by now you've all noticed these pieces of paper taped to the ends of the pews. All these pages with names listed on them... well, of course, those are the nearly 3,000 names of the individuals who died on 9/11. The names that are not included are the names of the unborn children who died that day (eleven that are known for certain, only God knows how many more), nor are there included the names of those who have died from health complications from the toxins that they were exposed to from helping with the rescue and clean-up, or from just being unlucky enough to have been in the area and being covered with debris and breathing the dust and fumes on that fate-filled day. The list also excludes all of those who were injured both physically and emotionally and the terrible toll that those wounds have had and are still having on their lives... even fifteen years past.
In preparation for this sermon, I re-read some of the news reports and watched several old videos. Perhaps nothing portrays and solidifies the horror of that day like the images of those that jumped from the buildings to their deaths rather than facing death in the fires that raged around them. The image of one couple who held hands as they jumped seems to have burned itself into the minds of many of those who witnessed this horrific event.
As we re-live these moments, these emotions and fears the same question that haunted the Nation that day returns to the front of our collective mind...
Why, why, why... why God? Why and how could this have happened, and where was God during all this death and wanton destruction? Why God!
I've addressed this question here in this sanctuary before, during the funeral for Jeff Gorden to be precise. A portion of what I am about to relay to you comes from the message that I gave on that day. It's a message that we all need to keep in our mind as the world seems to become a constantly crazier, and crazier place to live.
Far, far greater minds than I, have attempted to tackle this ever present and monumental question.... this question of why God? I approach this topic with no small amount of humility and a complete understanding of my insignificance in attempting to lend my voice among those who are or were giants among Theologians.
But, I come to this question of why, with my many years of studying not only scripture but studying about scripture, with my many years of individual study with my late mentor the Reverend Doctor Jesse Brown, whose vast credentials I have relayed before and I will omit today. I add to this my own life experiences in my 56 years on this earth, and a relationship with my Lord that has often been extremely contentious, a relationship where I have never shied away from asking why, and even for many years being angry with and denying God. Through all of this, I have arrived at a relationship with my God where I am at peace with His being and perhaps more importantly at peace with my own being and my place in His Kingdom. So much at peace with God that I felt His calling to come here, to Lake City and be with all of you.
Why, why God... why do the innocent and the very young have to perish. Why... did all those people 15 years ago have to perish just for deciding to take the wrong airline flight, or for having taken jobs or other obligations in the affected buildings and areas. But, the why's don't stop there, what about all those who have suffered health problems and death from the toxins they were exposed to when they rushed to assist in the rescue and clean up... why did they suffer for doing good, for showing compassion and kindness to their fellow man, or for having just decided to visit that area on that particular day... why... why... why. The why's simply.... never end...
Often when confronted with this difficult and frankly extremely uncomfortable question we ministers as well as nearly all lay people will just say something along the lines of “We don't understand God's ways” or worse yet “It is all part of God's plan”. I'll be honest with you, I cringe when I hear these statements... it doesn't paint a very pretty picture of the God that I love with all of my being.
We don't understand God's ways... this I agree with but not in the fashion that most make this statement are implying. We don't understand God because He is God... and He as God sees the big picture, the whole picture, and we're here living in a snapshot of our life at any given moment. As we get older we hopefully gain understanding of the snapshots that have gone on before and can apply that acquired knowledge to the moments to be photographed still ahead, but none the less, we live in a very finite time frame in this world. God of course, is infinite, His being and understanding is obviously different than our own.
Let me try to share with you a little insight that I have gained from the snapshots of my life thus far. We don't understand God's ways partly because God is entirely a being of Love, Grace, and Forgiveness. We as imperfect, egotistical, envious and often angry humans have difficulty grasping even for a moment the depth of the love that God has for His children and His creation. God loves each of us so very much and all that He desires is a relationship of mutual love with each of us. But, He does not and will not force us to come to Him and love Him. Rather, His desire is that we of our own free-will come to love Him. God is always in pursuit of us, trust me He chased me, and chased me. I tried my best not to love Him, but ultimately I found that I could not resist. We are all granted this “free-will”, this liberating yet terrifying freedom which theologians have discussed for many, many centuries. God gave us each free-will to decide for ourselves if we wished to love God... if we wished to have a relationship with Him. This free-will though had to by virtue of it's fully being free-will... it had to spill out into every aspect of our lives. We as autonomous beings and not biological robots can and do make hundreds or thousands of decisions each and every day. Unfortunately, along with any good decisions we made are far too many rash and or poor decisions.
Thus, we arrive upon days like the one fifteen years ago today. Because God has allowed us the ability of 'free will', we can decide to worship him or we can decide to worship some other god, or to worship no god at all. We can decide to cause good or we can decide to cause harm and be the bond-servant of evil in this world. I would present to you that those who conducted the attacks on 9/11 were indeed the bond-servants of evil.
Thousands of innocent people lost their lives because less than two dozen people exercised their free will and chose to do evil. This wasn't done under the direction of God, it was done because of human ego and bad decisions. Those people did not die because God wished for them to die. God cried that day, He cries each day and every hour when one of His children decides to side with evil and to walk away from His love and grace.
In both the Gospel of Luke and Matthew, we read these words spoken by Jesus.
Luke 13:34 (NRSV)
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
This verse and others speak to God's allowing us free-will and to His dismay and disappointment when we fail to respond to his Love held out for us. God wishes to cover us with His 'wings' just as it says here in Luke and Matthew as well, and as it says in Psalm 91 verses 3 & 4:
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge
Unfortunately, as Luke and Matthew convey... we don't always respond to God's love. We all too often make bad decisions and walk away.
Our need to come to God in love and relationship out of our own free-will is such an extremely important element of our salvation that God has allowed all of the other bad decisions that arise out of free-will to enter into this world and our existence. All of the evil that is allowed to be manifested in the hearts of man are a result of the absolute need for us to individually make our commitment to our all loving and all gracious God. This is how important it is for us to love God of our own accord... think about that folks... this love for God is so vitally important. Through all of what life throws at us because of our free-will and because of others free-will in turn... know that your God loves you.
God does not cause tragedy to happen... but what He can do and what He will do if we are attentive is to show to us in these times of darkness and dis-pare His love for us. Good can come out of tragedy and even evil acts if we are determined to do good in the name of God.
Romans 8:28-39New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
"On the morning of September 11, 2001, 2,976 people from 93 nations lost their lives in New York, at the Pentagon, and on Flight 93.
Today, we pause to remember that moment of horror and pray for those left forever scarred by those terrible events."
In closing, let us pray responsively:
Leader:
We remember the first time we
heard the news.
We recall the first time we saw those images.
We remember the way our thoughts
and prayers were with those families
who lost loved ones.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them again today.
People:
O God of Comfort – though the years have passed, you are faithful still.
Yesterday, today and forever; let your love and peace endure.
Leader:
We remember those who survived.
We recall their heart-breaking stories.
We remember that their lives are forever scarred by those moments.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them again today.
People:
O God of Healing - though the years have passed, you are faithful still.
Yesterday, today and forever; let your love and peace endure.
Leader
We remember the pain we felt.
We recall the bereavement and bitterness of the aftermath.
We remember that you are a God of redemption and restoration.
Help us forgive those who caused so much trauma,
and that we may find release in that forgiveness.
People:
O God of forgiveness - though the years have passed, you are faithful still.
Yesterday, today and forever; let your love and peace endure.
Leader:
We remember that you love the world.
We recall you sent your Son to bring reconciliation and salvation.
We remember your Spirit inhabits your Church.
Help us bring your comfort and peace to all.
People:
O God of hope - though the years have passed, you are faithful still.
Yesterday, today and forever; let your love and peace endure. Amen.
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