Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Remembering 9/11 with a summons to be the healing agents of our nation and world.



In 2010 I wrote the following blog about what was happening in the United States because or in the name of 9/11. We are deep into a political debate about who will be our next president. E-mails arrive continuously about “Voting Christian” – I feel it is time that we start acting like Christians instead of just giving it lip service. So, I repost this previous blog, with some minor editorial changes, and call upon us to really begin to do something in the name of Christ … for the sake of the whole world.

In the great city of New York there once stood the Twin Towers ... a nation watched in disbelieve and horror as they fell to the ground. Thousands died. Hatred brought them down and hatred has gripped the nation ever since. Hatred cannot win … we cannot allow it to win … we will be destroyed if hatred wins the day and God is pushed to the sidelines of life.

Holy Scripture speaks of … forgiving our enemies … turning the other cheek … of going the second mile … not repaying evil with evil … loving those who hate us and say all sorts of evil against us. Holy Scripture asks the penetrating question: How can we love God whom we have not seen if we don’t love our neighbor who we have seen? Holy scripture asks the follow up question: Who is my neighbor? … And we know, in our hearts, who our neighbors are ... they speak a different language, worship a god by a different name, they wear different cloths and live a different lifestyle … but they are still God’s children and they are our neighbors.

There continues to be fringe elements within the make-up of our country that see an enemy at every turn. They stir the pot of fear. These individuals are so blinded by their philosophy of “me first” thinking that they are willing to go to great lengths to destroy the very framework which undergirds the greatness of our country. Sides have been taken, angry words are being exchanged, urban legends continue to be spread … and God is being left out of any consideration as hatred takes grip of the heart of the nation.

Scores of e-mails still arrive on a daily bases spreading hatred and misinformation … bearing false witness? In the name of Christ nationally known pastors and religious leaders on television continue to stir the pot. The hate-jocks (conservative talk show hosts) speak in angry tones of trying to preserve our beloved nation … spreading the message of hate and anger. And, we are instructed in Holy Scripture that we are to leave judgment and wrath in the hands of God … this is not our responsibility nor is it our privilege.

A winless war is being waged. Billions of dollars is being spent … money we do not have. Thousands of lives of young men and women are being lost and tragically changed forever … all in the name of hatred and anger.

When will this madness stop? When will we truly turn back to being that Christian Nation that we so proudly talk about? When will we become instruments of peace instead of war? When will we once again become the hallmark of justice, democracy, and freedom? When? … When? … When?

Today we will remember where we were and what we were doing on 9/11. We will remember the victims and mourn their passing. Their names will be read once again by a family member at Ground Zero. But will we stop the hatred and the anger or will we continue this madness and watch our nation destroyed from within? Who wins God, a God of peace and love, or the other guys? It is our decision … every day and every moment of every day. We are either part of the problem or we are part of the solution.

Quote for today: Hate is like acid. It can damage the vessel in which it is stored as well as destroy the object on which it is poured. Ann Landers

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