25 Years Later: Remembering September 11th

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the tragedies of September 11, 2001.  

It's hard to believe that it happened a quarter of a century ago.  

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial in New York City and spent an entire afternoon there, somberly experiencing all the exhibits. 

It brought up a host of emotions and the memory of that fateful day and all that came after it.  

If you remember that day as I do, you probably felt fear, horror, unbelievable sorrow, anger, confusion, and a sense that the world would never be the same again. 

But there were other things that we felt as the days went by after 9/11. 

There were tragic but incredible stories of people who gave their lives to save the lives of others.  

Survivors also shared stories of acts of mercy, kindness, and bravery they would never forget. 

We also felt a sense of solidarity and togetherness with one another.  

In those early days, it didn't matter what our politics were; we were all Americans, sharing a common grief and a common hope.   

But the world would never be the same again, as we feared.  

It didn't take long for the divisions and the finger-pointing to return, and even grow.  

There have been times in the last twenty-five years when I have wondered if anything could truly bring us together, because if a national tragedy couldn't, what could?

That is why today, I look back and try to feel again those tender, raw feelings that marked that sad day and the weeks that followed.  

It was a day that put on full display both the worst and best that humanity is capable of.  

On the day I visited the memorial, I stood at the foot of the Freedom Tower in New York City and gazed, mesmerized by the two fountains that flow near it, where the towers of the World Trade Center once stood. 

I couldn't help but think about how God is with us at our lowest, and journeys with us as we learn to trust that something new can be made from all that we have broken.  

Beloved, there is hope for us all, and there always will be, no matter how dark the days seem. 

We are created in the image of God, and bear that image into the world to bring light and life.  

If we can learn together what it means to bear that image and bring that light, there is more on the other side of the worst things, which never get to be the last things.  

May you live into this hope today and every day.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.