“Teaching our Children to Never Forget” (1 John 4:16, 18; Psalm 103:1–12) Pentecost 13 Series A, September 11, 2011
1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word this Rally Day Sunday and this day in which we remember the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th, 2001 that shocked our nation to its core is taken from selected verses of Psalm 103 and 1 John 4. It’s entitled, “Teaching our Children to Never Forget,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Dr. Carl Fickenscher, of our Fort Wayne Seminary, has written that on this 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, hundreds of people will stand on the sidewalks near Ground Zero, once the site of the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center. Just as we do, they’ll remember those chilling videos of planes crashing into buildings and towers crumbling to earth. In the same way, visitors to Washington DC will be easily reminded of the crash of a third plane into the Pentagon.
3. But also today the National Park Service is to dedicate a memorial at another 9/11 site. This one, according to families of the victims, sometimes seems to be forgotten. This memorial is to the heroes of United Flight 93, also hijacked by Islamic terrorists, in the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where it crashed. And they were heroes. Flight 93 is the only one of the 4 hijacked airliners that didn’t reach its target. Some 40 minutes out of Newark, New Jersey, headed for San Francisco, the plane was overtaken, and the terrorists turned it back toward Washington. Realizing what was happening after cell phone conversations with family, the passengers decided to fight back. You probably remember passenger Todd Beamer’s famous last words, “Let’s roll.” The passengers rammed the cockpit, causing the terrorists to crash the plane into the field, only about 20 minutes flying time from Washington. Later investigation found that the terrorists’ target was likely either the Capitol building or the White House. The 9/11 Commission concluded that Air Force fighters probably wouldn’t have been able to stop them. Let us not forget the lives these forty passengers and crew saved.
4. Sometimes in the excitement and stress and even tragedies of life we may forget the blessings of body and soul that God has given us through Jesus Christ. So the psalmist calls upon us to remember the Lord this day: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life” (Ps 103:1–4).
5. The Psalmist continues to tell us in verses 5-12 of Psalm 103, “5The Lord satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
6. The words of the Psalmist from Psalm 103 remind us today that we don’t simply remember the evil at work in this world. More than the evil we remember our God, that even as we can’t forget the significance of this day, so also we “forget not” the benefits of a God who’s always been in the business of freeing his people from the terror of sin and a sinful world! This is the message of the cross of our Lord Jesus and His empty tomb that we teach our children as we remember this Rally Day, the message of Christ who has overcome this world full of sin, death and the devil’s temptations for you.
7. The Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 103 how God freed Israel from the terror of sin and slavery. The Lord called Moses to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Yet, even though God had freed the Israelites, they still sinned greatly against Him by worshiping a golden calf. But, God is compassionate with His people. He’s merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in love for you as well. He doesn’t treat His people as their sins deserve, but forgives and removes transgressions from His people in and through His Son Jesus Christ.
8. Did you catch how the Psalmist says that the Lord is merciful and gracious to us? On this day of the anniversary of Sept. 11th, there’s a temptation to become fatalistic as we see great evils in the world around us. We see and feel ourselves oppressed. At those moments, in our sin, we sometimes forget God’s blessings and give in to despair. But, it’s at the moment of despair that we remember that our God redeems our lives from misery and crowns us with love and compassion.
9. 9 years ago, on the first anniversary of 9/11, there was a presentation aired by PBS titled “Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero.” It asked the question “Where was God on September 11?” The question is an ancient one and has been asked by many people in moments of crisis. In the Old Testament, men of faith from Jacob to Joseph and from Job to Jonah asked it. And God always responds the same way: “I am where and who I have always been, and always will be. I am almighty, and I shall show that power ultimately at the Last Day. In the meantime, because this world is filled with sinful people, there will be wars and bloodshed and terrorists and hurt and grief and pain. But never think that I’ve lost control of the world I have created and judged and redeemed through my Son, Jesus Christ. If you think, even for a second, that I have left you or forsaken you, then take another, closer look at the cross and the empty tomb.”
10. Here’s the Christian’s perspective of faith, the power of love. If we’re to be restored in our faith after a tragedy like the Sept. 11th attacks, it will be by looking to the cross of Christ. For, in deed and in truth, we Christians see all events through a picture of Calvary, where Christ died for your sins and for the sins of all humanity. I repeat, all humanity! How awesome is the power of God’s love for us all!
11. The Psalmist goes onto say in Psalm 103:13, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” And yet, in a post 9-11 society do we see the compassion and love of God around us? Are we teaching our children to love, as God in Christ Jesus has shown love to each and every one of us? Even when we were still enemies of God, Christ died for you and me. The popular singing group, The Black Eyed Peas, has that same question for us, “Where is the Love?” Part of the song goes like this: “I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder, As I'm getting older y'all people get colder, Most of us only care about money makin, Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction, Wrong information always shown by the media, Negative images is the main criteria, Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria, Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema, Whatever happened to the values of humanity, Whatever happened to the fairness and equality, Instead of spreading love, we're spreading animosity, Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity, People killing people dying, Children hurtin you hear them crying, Can you practice what you preach, Would you turn the other cheek? Father Father Father help us, Send some guidance from above, Cause people got me got me questioning, Where is the love?”
12. On this 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th maybe you’re asking that same question, “Where is the Love?” Are we teaching our children here in our congregation to love, instead of hate, to forgive, instead of holding a grudge? As Christians we know where true love may be found. The truest form of love is found in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross to save you from your sins. From even the work of terrorists, and the devil, that thief, who only comes to steal, and kill, and destroy. The Apostle John writes in 1 John 4:16 & 18, “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. . . . There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
13. God’s perfect love casts out fear—fear of more terrorist attacks, fear of flying, fear of the enemies of our country, fear of nuclear holocaust. God’s perfect love casts out the fear of our own mortality, of sickness and disease and— closer to the context of 1 John 4—fear of the righteous and eternal judgment of God. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, because we live in the forgiveness of our Lord Jesus; we live in grace; we live in love. And “whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16 NIV). Amen.
14. Please pray with me: O Lord of grace and glory, Thanks and praise to you for the gifts you give to us as a nation, including freedom to worship and to pursue dreams and hopes. Forgive us for sins of greed and abuse of power and intolerance of others unlike us. We commend to you our elected leaders of government, and we pray that you give to them wisdom, humility, discernment, morality, and faith. We also lift up those who protect us, including police, fire, and military personnel. Keep them safe from all harm and protect them from all evil. Heavenly Father, Ruler of all nations, we pray for peace throughout the world, especially in areas of the Middle East. Throw off tyrannical and cruel leaders, and embrace their lowly subjects with your protective power. We bring these prayers of thanksgiving, confession, and intercession to you in the bold name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment