Remembering 9/11

Country singer Alan Jackson, asked in his powerful song in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, "Where were you when the world stopped turnin'?" It was a question that spoke of a particular moment, frozen in time. There are many such moments, milestone events, good and bad, that make us pause and remember as if they happened just yesterday. Over the last seventy-five years, some of us might cite the bombing of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, Dallas, Texas and the assassination of JFK November 22, 1963, April 4, 1968 and the assassination of Martin Luther King, July 20, 1969 and the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon, and September 11, 2001 and the terrorist attacks on that day "the world stopped turnin'." With the exception of the events at Pearl Harbor that drew our nation into World War II, I remember where I was in each of these moments. From the shadowy images of a six year-old in 1963, to the vivid images of a 44 year-old in 2001, I, like many of you, have been changed by those moments.

Now, we are about to mark the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11. Stories, pictures, and memories will be shared and the distance of fifteen years will be bridged. The war on terrorism that was initiated in the aftermath of 9/11 is still being waged today, and most likely will be for the foreseeable future. One event...changing our lives, changing our world.

In the chorus of Jackson's ballad about that awful day, he writes, "I know Jesus and I talk to God, and I remember this from when I was young: Faith, hope, and love are some good things he gave us...and the greatest is love." Our lives, our world can change in a moment's time. Jackson's words remind us of the foundation that keeps us, as followers of Jesus Christ, grounded in an often violent, angry world. The greatest gift, the gift of love is our only hope in the midst of changing, uncertain times.

In morning worship this Sunday, we will have a conversation about our memories of 9/11 and about the power of love to heal and overcome. I will be preaching from the thirty-seventh Psalm, the same text I used that first Sunday after 9/11. I hope you will join the conversation and share in this special worship service.

Where were you when the world stopped turnin' that September day? I hope you will join the conversation this Sunday at Westwood.

Jim Abernathy