I settled into the dentist's chair aware of news reports that a commuter plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. An hour later, my teethed cleaned and inspected, I went to schedule my next appointment. The receptionist was ashen, looking off into space. "One of the towers is gone." "What?" "One of the towers is gone." "What?" "The World Trade Center has two towers." "Yes, I know." "One of them is gone, and the other is burning."
In the minutes that followed I stared at a blank wall. Neither of us said a word. On the short ride back to the office I heard reports of a bomb at the Supreme Court, or was it the Justice Department? Black smoke was rising from the Pentagon. The north tower fell. Alone in the office I gazed out the window. It was a gorgeous late summer day, too beautiful to be so horrible. None of us will ever forget where we were on that day.
Now, as we approach the anniversary of September 11th, we again think back on that day. On Wednesday evening the community will remember together at Greenbelt Lake with patriotic music, brief remarks by various dignitaries, prayers from different faith traditions, and the candlelight laying of wreaths in memory of fire fighters, police officers, soldiers, and civilians. It is good and right that we have such an observance.
But as Christians we don't just remember an important event in our past. As Christians we are deeply rooted in biblical traditions of remembrance. "Do this," Jesus said, "in remembrance of me." In our faith remembrance recalls an event from the past in such a way that it has a powerful effect on the present and future.
The "this" that we do in remembrance of Jesus is Communion. Together we remember the gruesome and tragic breaking of Christ's body and the spilling of Christ's blood. When we gather at the table of the Lord, remembering a horrible event from our past we are not brought down but lifted up. We believe Christ is present with us transforming our todays and tomorrows. We are refreshed. From the cross comes Easter. From death comes new life. Out of the worst that human beings can do is revealed the best that God can do.
The searing events of September 11th will be with us the rest of our lives. One year later, by the grace of God, the remembrance of those events may help transform our vision of ourselves and our future.
The process begins with identification; deep, personal identification. Ordinary people, men and women, went to work at the Pentagon and World Trade Center on a Tuesday morning. Ordinary people boarded airliners for business trips, vacations, or family visits. It could have been you or me in one of those offices or airplanes. It could have been you or me desperately waiting for word of a loved one. It could have been you or me dissolved in grief.
Through our faith it was you and me. The offering prayer from Deuteronomy begins, "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor." It begins by identifying with Jacob, vulnerable, destitute, homeless. It goes on, "When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord." None of the residents of the promised land experienced any of this affliction themselves. They were several generations removed from bondage. In remembrance they make the pain of their ancestors their own. They are saying, "I, too, am a slave in Egypt."
The Israelites are challenged to remember their affliction, just as we are today. When they do they discern they are not alone in their pain and suffering. The whole people, the entire nation suffers together and the Lord responds. "The Lord brought us out of Egypt." The people of God are never alone in their affliction. Not in ancient Israel. Not in the United States today. We can suffer the deaths of thousands. But when we cry to the Lord, God hears and God delivers. This was true 3000 years ago and one year ago. It is true today and will be tomorrow.
From identification with all who are afflicted comes unity. In the aftermath of the attacks I feared for Muslims in America. There were acts of violence. Some places of worship were vandalized. But such incidents were relatively rare. When they did happen non-Muslims rallied to defend their Muslim sisters and brothers and repair the damage. In a country as big as ours, there will always be some crackpots. The vast majority of ordinary Americans did not take out their anger on innocent neighbors. In suffering together we recognized our common humanity.
One year later I am still proud of the way so many Americans responded with open hearts. I am ashamed of statements made since then by certain Christian leaders. On Christian radio talk shows they claim Islam is a "religion of violence." They demonstrate ignorance and bigotry which discredits our faith.
The Qur'an does have violent passages. Stubborn teenagers are to be put to death. There's a strange story of a king who demands from his future son-in-law body parts of 100 dead enemy soldiers. Seeking to make a good impression, the son-in-law kills and mutilates 200 men and is welcomed into the family. The penalty for cursing during a heated argument is death. Those who take the babies of foreigners and smash them on rocks will be happy. The point of the religion is not to bring peace on earth, but a sword. None of that is in the Qur'an. It's all in our Bible. And there's plenty more including divine calls for the slaughter of entire populations including women, children, and household pets. We Christians are in no position to criticize violence in the sacred texts of other faiths.
Neither does our history give us grounds to judge others. Christian crusaders slaughtered defenseless Jews and Muslims every chance they got. Christian terrorists in their white hoods enforced American apartheid for generations. Christian Nazis operated the gas chambers. Christians terrorists, financed with American dollars, spread death and destruction from Belfast to London.
Any faith can be perverted. There is blood on all of our hands. To use the current environment to slander Islam is contemptible. As we bring to remembrance those terrible events of a year ago may it renew our commitment to pray and work for justice and peace with people of all faiths. We are one human family.
What follows from identification with all who suffer and unity with all God's children is a passion for justice. We can't let others be denied what we so often take for granted. Until we care as much for the poor of the world as we do for the next teen idol, until we work as hard for social justice as we do to make our next car payment anger between classes and nations will spawn new terrorists. As the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis demonstrates, there will be no peace without justice, no peace without concern for all human life. Until all people are safe from the ravages of poverty, ignorance, oppression, and hopelessness none of us will be completely safe. As we bring to remembrance the fiery ordeal of a year ago may it strengthen our resolve to do justice for the least of these, our sisters and brothers.
It could have been you or me in one of those offices or on one of those planes. The year we have lived since that terrible day was a gift. We didn't deserve the gift of a year of life any more than those who died deserved their fate. The proper response to a gift is gratitude. Precious and fragile is life. Let us rejoice and be glad for it. This day is a gift. The freedoms and responsibilities we are given simply by living in this nation are gifts. The opportunities and resources that come our way are gifts. The stimulating variety of cultures and traditions we find among our sisters and brothers is a gift.
The Israelites received the promised land as a gift. Remembering their bondage they responded with grateful generosity. As we bring to remembrance a day of horrible death and destruction may we receive this day as the precious gift it is. May we spend this day with a generosity of spirit that reflects our gratitude.
As Christians we are rooted in remembrance of our time in bondage, of homeless wandering in the wilderness, of exile and oppression. As Christians we are rooted in the remembrance of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Our faith was born out of terrible times. As we bring to remembrance a terrible day a year ago may it deepen our compassion for all who suffer. May it renew the common bond we share with all humanity. May it strengthen us to do justice for all people. May it awaken us to the sheer giftedness of every day of our lives. Then those who died will not have died in vain. And you and I will not live in vain.
Amen.