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Call to
Worship
1 - In his hands, we are gathered.
2 - In his hands, we remember the events of one year ago.
1 - On Monday, September 10th, 2001, there were
people fighting against praying in school.
2 - On Tuesday, September 11th, you would have been
hard pressed to find a school where someone was not praying.
1 - On Monday, there were people trying to separate each other
by race, sex, color and creed.
2 - On Tuesday, they were holding hands.
1 - On Monday we thought we were secure.
2 - On Tuesday we learned better.
1 - On Monday we were talking about heroes as being athletes.
2 - On Tuesday we re-learned what hero really meant.
1 - On Monday people went to work at the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon as usual.
2 - On Tuesday they were no more.
1 - On Monday people were upset that their dry cleaning was not
ready on time.
2 - On Tuesday they lined up to give blood for the dying.
1 - On Monday politicians argued about budget surpluses.
2 - On Tuesday, grief stricken, they sang, "God Bless
America".
1 - On Monday some children had families intact.
2 - On Tuesday they were orphans.
1 - Today, in his hands, we remember them all, the old and the
young, the orphans, the widows, the widowers and all those who
seek God’s tender healing grace.
2 - We have come to pray that God would continue to hold them
in his hands. We also have gathered to place ourselves in the
hands of the Lord.
slightly adapted from a
communion liturgy for the one-year anniversary of September 11,
provided by the New
Jersey Interfaith Partnership for Disaster Recovery. |
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Confession
To place
ourselves into the hands of God is to quickly move toward
confession - for our hands are unclean before a Holy God. In the
following moments of repentant prayer, would you turn to the Lord
by responding to each sentence I pray for us, with the following
words:
"Forgive us Lord."
We come before
you Lord, with open hearts, open minds, open hands, yet
remembering those times when we have failed you.
Forgive us Lord.
We watched the horrors unfold on September 11, yet our minds were
not wholly focused on you.
Forgive us Lord.
We sought
revenge; our rage and bitterness devoured thoughts and intentions.
Forgive us Lord.
We were quick
to judge and hastily labeled the innocent as "guilty"
Forgive us Lord.
We waved our
flags in righteousness, yet failed to see You, O Lord, as ruler
over all the nations.
Forgive us Lord.
We cried for
war, when you had called us to seek peace.
Forgive us Lord.
We sang
"God Bless America," forgetting the needs of sisters and
brothers in other parts of the world starving and suffering from
oppression.
Forgive us Lord.
For ways we
failed to reach out, refused to pray or otherwise ignored your
gracious call in our lives.
Forgive us Lord.
And for all
other sins, both known and unknown to our conscious minds.
Forgive us Lord.
(Moment of silence for
personal reflection)
The Lord God
in mercy has given His Son to die for us and, for his sake,
forgives us all our sins. Through His Holy Spirit He cleanses us
and gives us power to proclaim what he has done and what he
continues to do. Please stand. Lift up your hearts, your hands,
your voices and sing to the Lord - who is "our help in ages
past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy
blast, and our eternal home," #328.
slightly adapted from a
communion liturgy for the one-year anniversary of September 11,
provided by the New
Jersey Interfaith Partnership for Disaster Recovery. |
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Meditation
This evening,
I propose that we allow two verses from the gospel of John to
shape our time together under the theme - "In his
hands..." The first comes from the third chapter. Many have
memorized another verse from this chapter, recalling what Jesus
said one dark night to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who yearned for the
truth but was scared over where it might take him. In their
conversation, Jesus opened wide the door to this entire globe,
saying that "God so loved the world that he gave his only
Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may
have eternal life" (John 3:16).
As
"awesome" as that verse is, one we do need to remember,
there is another that we need to shape this moment. It comes from
the lips of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the Lord.
Among other things, John said, "The Father loves the Son
and has placed all things in his hands" (John
3:35). Did you hear that? All things are in his hands. Do
not forget that. Ever. We struggled to believe that one year ago,
as we watched terrifying events unfold closer to home that ever
before. It was a challenge to our faith to confess such a thing at
such a time, even as it brought comfort. All things are in his
hands. I do not understand, I just know. Help thou my unbelief.
A second
verse, similar to the first, must be spoken. This one is from the
20th chapter of the gospel of John. Terrifying things happened in the
events that led up to the moment these words were uttered. Dare we
think of the crucifixion of Jesus as an act of terror? To do so
reminds us that terrorists sometimes wear the uniforms of the
empire or the robes of clergy.
However, the
verse I want to bring to mind follows up that act of terror and
recalls what God did in response. On the third day, the risen
Christ appeared to his disciples as they gathered in fear behind
locked doors. Does that sound familiar in this age of insecurity? One disciple was not among them, though. When he
arrived later, having missed seeing Jesus alive and well, he said
to the others (listen!): "Unless I see the mark of the
nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the
nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe" (John
20:25b).
We know the
rest of the story, don’t we? Our Lord returned and showed Thomas
the reality of the resurrection, having him touch the wounds that were still there. "My
Lord and my God," was all this once doubting Thomas could
respond.... Why we need to remember this verse is that even after
Jesus rose from the dead, the marks of his healed wounds were
still in his hands.
Yes, we are in his
hands. John the Baptist said, "All things are in his
hands." That includes us. That also includes the world
(not just the people of this nation) for whom
God gave his only Son. These hands which hold us still bear the
scars. Though the wounds have healed, they remain as marks that
remind. Just like, over time, there comes healing for those who
have been wounded by terror. However, the scars will remain and
remind. In a society which tries to forget suffering, which attempts to
sanitize and sterilize pain out of existence - we know the truth.
We can’t ignore such things, here or around the globe. That is
not the way of the cross, nor the way of the empty tomb.
In the moments
leading up to the terror of the crucifixion, it was Thomas who
said to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way?" To which Jesus replied, "I
am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me" (John 14:5-6).
These are not words to use in bashing Muslims, Jews, or those who
believe differently from us. They are words which point to the One
whose hands uphold and heal those who hurt, whose hands - in fact
- hold all things. These hands still bear the mark of the nails.
Tonight, I
call you to lift up those who need Jesus one year after September
11th, to place them, as you place yourself, in his
hands. After we sing the next hymn, you are invited to speak out
loud someone or something to place in his hands during our
time of prayer. It may be something like,
"those who lost a loved one," or
"those still in harm’s way," or
"our country," or
"our leaders," or
"the people of Afghanistan," or
"the people of Iraq," or
"those we consider our enemies."
You could get
more specific and say something like,
"Fire fighters," or
"police," or
"soldiers," or
"mediators," or
"peacemakers."
You could even
get more specific and name names. Dare we lift up specific names
of our nation’s leaders? Dare we even place the names of enemies
in the hands of the Lord? Are these persons beyond his reach? "God so loved the
world...," Jesus said.
Perhaps you
know someone personally who is in pain over this earth shattering
event a year ago, someone who lost a loved one, or who is still
recovering. Name the name. (see links below for listings
of victims' names) What you speak aloud, in
general terms or more specific, will help us then as we turn to
God in intercessory prayer. There is space on your bulletin where
you are invited to write down these suggestions for prayer, to use
them as a guide - answering the question we often ask, "What
should I pray for?"
When it seems
we have spoken all the suggestions for prayer that have come to
mind, I will invite you to turn to a few other persons sitting
near you to pray. Whether you speak your prayers aloud or silently
do so, with these suggestions before you, does not matter. I’d
encourage you to be bold and speak your words, but we know that
the Holy Spirit is already at work interceding before our words
even get to our lips. Our true "boldness" comes in
recognizing his hands - which still bear the marks of his
crucifixion - and in being led wherever he guides. As you ponder,
just now, who and what you might place into his hands, let’s
turn to #259 and sing
"When
I survey the wondrous cross." |