9/11 Remembrance

8 years ago at about this time our world changed. Many of you probably vividly remember where you were when you first learned of the attacks on the World Trade Towers. I was in eating oatmeal as I watched the second jetliner slam into the second tower. It was obvious then that the first tower hit by a plane was not an accident. Throughout the morning we learned of the attack on the Pentagon and the plane crashing in a field in Pennsylvania, unable to reach its devious objective.

Yes our world changed that day. But for the families and loved ones of the nearly 3000 innocent people killed that day, there lives were truly changed. Fathers, sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and friends of many, all innocent people who were going about their daily business that day, just as you were. Only, they were taken by a brutal act of hatred and cowardice.

With the possible exception of the Pentagon, the victims of the attack were civilians, considered non-combatants. Attacking them was not a military strike but an act of terror perpetrated by people filled with intense hatred and a disregard for the sanctity of human life.

You may have known people who were killed that day. I lost several friends in the attack on the Pentagon. So as we mourn the loss of those murdered that day, let us also remember their families and friends. And with the Love of Christ in our hearts, let us remember also those who perpetrated and supported the attacks.

We live in a sick and dying world. Terror continues, wars are waged, humans are trafficked as commodities, people are hungry and children suffer. We live in a lost world, but we have the answer of hope.

I ask that you pray with me in silence as we remember those who were taken, remember their families, remember the perpetrators and pray for a boldness in our hearts to share the message of Christ to this lost world.