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9/11
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9/11
I hurried to get home so I could be with my family and my church on 9/11. I refuse to be frightened to travel but I felt the need to be with people that I love.
My church was holding a special service to honor the heroes of 9/11. We wanted to pray for our country. It was so wonderful to be worshipping with my own church family. I accepted the hugs and smiles and felt blessed to be a part of such a wonderful Christian fellowship.
We were led in worship by our staff and by our members. We have church members that are part of the police force, fire department, rescue, and military. They helped lead our worship. We honored them in our worship. We looked at pictures of our glorious nation. I had visited many of the places I saw on the screen.
As a church body, we prayed, sang, and gave testimonies. I listened to members describe where they were when they heard about 9/11. I listened to them tell of the impact 9/11 had our them and our nation. All of us will remember the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
Members poured out their compassion, struggles, love, and confessions as they talked. They talked about love of God and our country. They talked about courage. They praised God through their grief. They poured out their broken hearts of love to our congregation.
A very honest member confessed her anger towards our enemy. She struggled with her conviction that Christ demands forgiveness. She gave in to the power of Christ. The love of Christ enabled her to forgive. That forgiveness led her to be able to minister and witness to a suffering family of the nationality of our enemy. She made a difference in their lives. Praise God for allowing us to love our enemies. Praise God for Christians that confess their humanness and let God take control.
Luke 6:27-36
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
(from New International Version)
One man said he had watched television all day. He heard people on national television give glory to God. He remarked that in our nation, there were no hate marches that “hung our enemies in effigy.” People grieved together and loved each other. Rather than screaming words of hate towards our enemy, we talked about loving our country.
Even though there were threats against our gatherings, we attended events that remembered 9/11. Our leaders reminded us that we were not to blame a race or a religion for the acts of terrorists.
We are truly “One Nation Under God.” God is love. In love, there is no fear. In love, there is no room for hate.
1 John 4:17-21
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
(from New International Version)
Our church members talked about people in our nation turning to God. Never has our mission field been as ripe as it is now. People are seeking God. The harvest is plentiful. We need to ask God to send the workers. We need to take advantage of this opportunity God has offered us and lead people to Christ.
Luke 10:2-3
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
(from New International Version)
We talked about the need to love our enemy and to win the war of freedom. We are a nation of love but we are fierce to those that threaten the freedom to live in love and peace.
There are many stories of war in the Bible. God gives leaders strength to win the battles. Leaders cry to God as they lead their nation in the necessary but painful battles. We pray that God will uphold our cause.
1 Kings 8:44-45
When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.
(from New International Version)
Our nation is a nation of peace. Like David, we live among those who hate peace and we must take action.
Psalms 120:5-7
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am a man of peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.
(from New International Version)
There are people among us who stir up war every day. So it has been throughout time. As a nation, we look to God for direction and protection. God will protect us from the men of violence who devise evil plans in their hearts.
Ps 140:1-2
Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence,
who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.
(from New International Version)
Praise be to the Lord our rock who has trained our hands for war. He is our stronghold and our deliverer. He will subdue the enemy that we will love even while we are fighting them.
Psalms 144:1-2
Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war,
My fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues peoples under me.
(from New International Version)
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