A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

"This do in remembrance of me...."

This Sunday, September 11, 2011, is the 10th Anniversary of a most horrendous event in the history of America.  On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, at 8:46 AM, the first of four planes attacked our country.  Nineteen radical Muslim high-jackers took control of two American Airlines and two United Airlines planes.

Two of the planes were crashed into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, and one crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC.  The fourth plane was forced into the ground by alert passengers, near Shanksville, PA.

Our country will never be the same.  "9-11" will always be a dark day in our history.  Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-six people (2,996) died on that day:  2,606 died in the Towers and on the ground, 125 people died at the Pentagon, and 246 died on the planes.  We honor the memory of these people, who went to work that morning or boarded airplanes never to come home. They had an appointment with eternity.

We honor the memory and valiant service of the "first-responders" who rushed into this tragedy to rescue and assist all they could, and never came back out.  New York City Fire Department lost 341 firefighters and 2 paramedics.  New York City Police Department lost 23 officers.  New York Port Authority Police lost 37 officers.  Eight EMTs and paramedics lost their lives, who worked for private firms.  Thank you for your sacrifice!  May God bless your memory and your families who still grieve and miss you!!

Our country was shaken in just a few hours -- we will never be the same.  Almost immediately, people across this land began to pray. The following Sunday, September 16, 2001, church attendance was at an all-time high, as people flocked to the sanctuary to seek God. 

What has happened to us in the past ten years?  We've endured terrible hurricanes, tornadoes, oil spills, and wars in two areas (Afghanistan and Iraq).  Our US economy is in deep trouble.  Unemployment is at a high, and seemly isn't coming down in the near future.  My question:  WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM 9/11?  

I'm not talking about increased security in our airports, train stations, subways, and ports.  I'm talking about SPIRITUALLY, what have we learned?  We prayed immediately after 9/11 -- are we still praying? Where is church attendance headed now?  Is church attendance up or down? or level? Morally, where are we?  Are we more righteous than 10 years ago? Are we more united in faith, or divided?

Something unique happened as the Towers fell on 9/11. Two steel beams were found in the rubble, and they are in the form of a cross.  Out of this tragedy, was God sending us a message?  I think so!

I believe that 9/11/01 was a "wake-up" call for America.  Out of tragedy -- out of an act of violence -- out of a mess -- God sends a message of His love.  On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and wine, and instituted a "Memorial" of His live, death, burial, and resurrection --- we call it Communion or Eucharist.  Jesus said, "This is my body ... this is my blood".  

On that fateful Tuesday morning, a lot of blood was shed across the land.  However, the most powerful day in history occurred almost two thousands years ago, outside Jerusalem on a hill called Golgotha -- when ONE man gave His life for the world.  Not just One man -- God-Man, Jesus Christ died on a Cross for you and me!  The world will NEVER know peace or lack of war and violence, until Jesus Christ is Lord over all!

As we remember the tragedy of 9/11 -- as we remember the sacrifice given on that day -- as we remember the loss of so many people on that day -- let's REMEMBER HIM!

We often sing, "God Bless America" -- every President in my lifetime has concluded every speech by saying, "God Bless America" --- We want God to bless us, BUT, what are we doing that would lead us to believe that God will continue to bless America?  God HAS blessed this country in the past -- no doubt about it. Thank you Lord for your blessings!

We are seeing a lot of stuff going on in the land that brings to question whether God will continue that blessing.  We must return to God!  We must repent of our wickedness and sin! We must stop depending on ourselves, but depend on God! Our money states, "IN GOD WE TRUST" -- let's do it again! The sacrifice of Calvary is still alive today!

We used to sing a song in church, "Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget thine agony, lest I forget thy love for me ..... lead me to Calvary"

America -- let's remember 9/11 -- but more importantly, let's remember Calvary!