Remembering 9/11

That all you have to say is 9/11 attests to the truth that this was a defining moment for our nation.  Just as those from past generations can remember where they were and what they were doing when JFK was shot or Pearl Harbor was attacked, so those old enough to remember can tell you what they were doing on that fateful morning.  The attacks upon our nation shook the foundations of our nation, but also for a time strengthened our union.

This weekend there will be formal and informal remembrances of that day.  Many are upset that as of this writing, clergy were not invited to the memorial service in New York.  As a Christian pastor, I take no offense in this omission.  In the days following 9/11, there were prayer services and people crying out for God to bless America.  However, most wanted the blessings of God not the God of the blessings so as the moment faded, so did the intensity of the prayers.

In fact, I am not sure that people would really want to hear what Jesus would say to our nation.  The Bible tells us what Jesus would say.  In Luke 13, some people came to Jesus to tell him that Pilate had killed some Jews who were at the temple to worship.  It was a tragic event and I am sure people were asking the question why did God allow this to happen.  As when 9/11 happened, some were saying the people died because God was judging them.  Here is Jesus' response:

 ¹There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

Jesus reminds us that we tend to ask the wrong questions and have the wrong focus.  You see we could ask God to bless America and we can never have an attack on American soil again.  Our economy could turn around and everyone in America who wanted a job could have one.  But being blessed like that does not mean that God is pleased with us.  We can live a life without anything bad happening to us and we can assume that we are blessed and God is on our side.  But the truth of the matter is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death.  We can gain this whole world but lose our soul.

But the good news is that when we recognize that I am a sinner and despite all the blessing I have, I have offended a holy God.  When I repent of my sin and turn back to God, trusting in his provision for me, then I can be saved.  God's provision is His son, who died for me.

So you see, I am not sure that people really want to hear that message.  So you see, I am not offended that pastors were not invited because I am not sure that the message of the Gospel would be allowed to be proclaimed.  However, nothing can stop you and I from reminding people of that truth, as we are in conversations about 9/11.  Think about it.