9/11 Poem

9/11

Nothing prepared us.

Instantly, we were

Numbed as a nation when

Evil exploded.

Everyone was altered.

Lives were wickedly

Extinguished and our

Values changed

Eternally.

Never forget.

JS

9/11 devotion - Where Was I?

Matthew 12:7           If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.

            I always find today difficult. The memories that I have of 9/11 are perhaps different from most people. When all of America and the rest of the world was shocked by the terrorist attacks, I was sitting at a hospital bed holding the hand of a friend who was dying. The quietness throughout the whole medical floor was unreal. Doctors and nurses were watching a portable television at the ward desk. No one spoke; all of them were absorbed in the catastrophic insanity and merciless attack on the World Trade Center towers. The whole ward appeared to stand still and you could sense a terrible fear permeating throughout the hospital. Soon everyone was on high alert, fearing the absolute worst because there were rumors that hundreds of planes had gone missing.

Meanwhile, I was holding my friend David’s hand, watching the monitors slow down, waiting for that last moment of his life. Across from me, his wife Linda sat with tears streaming down her face, as she lovingly patted his hand and quietly pleaded with David to stay alive. We were powerless in a helpless world. A little side-story within a frightening moment of history. We really didn't know what was happening outside, but death also visited us on that dreadful and painful morning.

Later on today, I’ll go over to David’s grave, where Linda is now also buried, and place some flowers over them. I’ll talk to them about that sad day, but also remind them of the pleasant memories that we shared which I still carry in my heart. I’ll also promise them that one morning, I’ll see them again in that beautiful land where suicidal madness and fanatical martyrdom have no reward; where suffering, pain, and evil cannot penetrate; where God actually wipes away all of our tears.

May God be with us all as we remember the past, knowing that He still watches over us presently, and will lead us to a better, not bitter, life through His Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

9/11 Poem - Fixed Point

Fixed Point

Remember when the sky became

Enemy territory,

Making us afraid to look up,

Exploding forever the

Myth of security,

By dusting us with mortality,

Enshrouding our vulnerability

Relentlessly with networked death.

John Stuart – 9/11/18

9/11 devotion - Where Was I? - Matthew 12:7

Matthew 12:7           If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.

            I always find today difficult. The memories that I have of 9/11 are perhaps different from most people. When all of America and the rest of the world was shocked by the terrorist attacks, I was sitting at a hospital bed holding the hand of a friend who was dying. The quietness throughout the whole medical floor was unreal. Doctors and nurses were watching a portable television at the ward desk. No one spoke; all of them were absorbed in the catastrophic insanity and merciless attack on the World Trade Center towers. The whole ward appeared to stand still and you could sense a terrible fear permeating throughout the hospital. Soon everyone was on high alert, fearing the absolute worst because there were rumors that hundreds of planes had gone missing.

Meanwhile I was holding my friend David’s hand, watching the monitors slow down, waiting for that last moment of his life. Across from me, his wife Linda sat with tears streaming down her face, as she lovingly patted his hand and quietly pleaded with David to stay alive. We were powerless in a helpless world. A little side-story within a frightening moment of history. We really didn't know what was happening outside, but death also visited us on that dreadful and painful morning.

Later on today, I’ll go over to David’s grave, where Linda is now also buried, and place some flowers over them. I’ll talk to them about that sad day, but also remind them of the pleasant memories that we shared which I still carry in my heart. I’ll also promise them that one morning, I’ll see them again in that beautiful land where suicidal madness and fanatical martyrdom have no reward; where suffering, pain, and evil cannot penetrate; where God actually wipes away all of our tears.

May God be with us all as we remember the past, knowing that He still watches over us presently, and will lead us to a better, not bitter, life through His Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

9/11 devotion - Always Remember - Psalm 30:2

Psalm 30:2                  O LORD, my God, I cried to You for help, and You have healed me.

I always find 9/11 difficult. I grieve the world that we once knew, and tragically lost on that day of infamy. All of our lives have changed and nothing is as it was before. 9/11 altered everything and no matter how many times people or politicians say that we need to carry on just as we once did, we cannot ever go back to a pre-9/11 existence.

I usually start this day quietly and think about the past. At some point I go to visit the graveyard next to my daughters’ High School. Some wonderful church friends are buried there, including one who died on 9/11.

It was nice and quiet this morning as I walked on the dew covered grass next to the gravestones. I thanked God for the people I had known whose names are carved on the headstones. It was both a very realistic and surrealistic moment in time, where reality and eternity meshed together. I came away smiling because of the fond memories that I inwardly recollected. And I reminded myself, yet again, to bring some flowers next year.

They say that time heals, but really what they mean is that eventually some experiences from the past grow distant like waves retreating from the shore. Despite this, I know that I shall see those dear friends again in His Garden. My soul is at peace with that wonderful thought.

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, on this fateful day, draw to near to us who remember the world as it once was. Walk with us as we go down hallowed and fearful paths. Heal our memories and grant peace to our weary souls. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and quietly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s message, please send John an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s 9-11 drawing for this year. It’s called “Always Remember.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/9725769218_18af60e748_b.jpg

9-11 Devotions: 9/11 Revisited - Luke 13:4-5

Luke 13:4-5    “Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 

Like most Americans who lived through 9-11, I can still hardly believe it. It was a beautiful sunny morning which turned into a wicked and terrible day. We were all stunned at the time and didn’t know why it was happening. It was a deadly day where fear and alarm really tested our faith and allegiance to God.

This morning, I watched a documentary about 9-11 and saw some things that I had never seen before. Some unfortunate people, who were trapped in the burning towers, jumped from the windows so that their bodies would be found. People on the ground were absolutely horrified and helpless. One African American lady was in tears, but through her sobbing she kept on praying, “O Lord, save their souls. O Jesus, save their souls.”

That was all she could do; that was all that she could pray, but it was a prayer of hope from a helpless person. The people who died in 9-11 on the planes, in the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon, or in a remote field didn’t deserve to die. They were just like us and we are still just like them, trying to get through each day of life safely and satisfactorily.

In Christ’s time, people who died disastrously were thought to be terrible sinners who had offended God and therefore they died horribly as a punishment for their sins. When Jesus came, He changed that way of thinking. He told His people that accidents happen, disasters occur, and terrible deaths take place but they have nothing to do with human sinfulness or God’s wrath. People die because we are all human and frail. However, Jesus did also point out that all of us perish and that our souls may also be destroyed unless we repent of our mistaken ways.

I don’t think that anyone who jumped from the Towers on that terrible day did so without seeking God’s help and forgiveness. And I also believe that the simple heartbroken prayer of the woman in the street below was also compassionately answered: “O Lord, save their souls. O Jesus, save their souls.”

Questions for personal reflection

Where was I and what was I doing when the Twin Towers were hit on 9-11? What was God doing on that day?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, let Your Spirit of Compassion be near to those who lost loved ones on this day in 2001. Comfort them as they quietly and painfully relive those terrifying moments on that awful day. Help us to do what we can to commemorate and cherish those who were lost. Keep us mindful of our own mortality and enable us to embrace Your forgiveness and love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. if you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest 9-11 tribute drawing called “Still There.” It features some of the firemen at Ground Zero raising a US flag to show the world that we may have been wounded painfully as a nation, but we were not defeated. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8178/7974965148_1b1e34a867_b.jpg