Reflections

I turned 16 in April 2001. In September 2001, I started my junior year of high school. I was sitting in creative writing class when a plane struck the first tower. I was in marine biology, fourth period, when the principal came on the intercom to tell us exactly what was going on. And even at that point, we didn't know much.

I've been hearing so many stories this week. It's hard no to hear them; every time you turn on the TV, the news is covering a different angle of 9/11. Some news programs even had former anchors as guest speakers on the news to talk about what it was like covering the news that day. I for one am actually grateful I was still in high school and not yet even interested in being a reporter (I was a reporter fresh out of college before I started seminary). I'm not sure I would have the stamina reporters needed that week to cover the news. Now, ten years later, it seems in some ways we are reliving the horrors of that day. The stories reopen old wounds and shed light on wounds that never closed to begin with. We mourned that day and in many ways, we are still mourning today as we reflect on where we've been and how far we've come since that day.

I think we've learned a number of things since that day. Even through recession, questionable politics, and fear of the vast unknown future, we've come a long way as a nation. And I'm not just talking about learning to have tighter security at air ports. I'm talking about how we've learned to come together as one people. My hope and prayer going into a new election season is that we remember what it is to be ONE PEOPLE, regardless of creed or lack of creed and regardless of all those other hot-button issues that separate us. Whenever the political nature of our nation threatens to tear us asunder, my hope and prayer is that we as ONE PEOPLE are able to tap into that sense of unity and the strength of the bond we all shared that day. I believe people are inherently good and I believe people have the capacity to be good even if there is darkness is our nature.

But above all, I hope we celebrate with purpose. And when I say celebrate with purpose, I mean I hope we are honest about what we're rejoicing in today. I've seen too many Facebooks today thanking God that Osama Bin Laden "finally got what was coming to him" and condemning him to burn in Hell. In my blog entry today, I want to be very clear about what I believe regarding these thoughts.

My disclaimer: These are my opinions. I base my opinions on how I've come to experience God in the world. I'm not speaking on behalf of the church or on the behalf of Christianity.

I preached a sermon today called, "Rejoicing in God" and I took great care to talk about 9/11 without actually talking about 9/11. The gist of my sermon was this: We do not rejoice in death; we rejoice in God. I do not celebrate that death came to people that cause terror and inflicted great pain. I rejoice in the fact that in the midst of it all, God remained faithful to God's people. God continued to act on our behalf by carrying us through and keeping us unified. As I remember 9/11 today, I'm celebrating the very fact that God acts. God always acts, and God will always act.

So I say to you today: do not rejoice in death. Do not rejoice that people "got what was coming to them" because they committed acts of terrorism against our country. Celebrate that despite those acts of terrorism, our spirit as the American people stayed strong. Regardless of the state of the American political system and the murky state of the American economy, we continue to be ONE PEOPLE. ONE NATION under God INDIVISIBLE. Let us never forget that word "indivisible."

Praise God for being a God who stays with us and acts through us and let it be our prayer as Christians to stand with our brothers and sisters of every time and place and may God help us to love, accept, and protect one another as we practice mutual forbearance.

To God -- and to God alone -- be the glory.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki