Words of Welcome

1 Timothy 1:12-17 A lot of preachers have been wondering what to say this morning about September 11th.  There are those who believe that it’s best to say nothing, but most of us believe that this particular anniversary can’t pass by unnoticed.  That day is seared into our memories, and many among us have found it difficult to move on.  Fear remains.  Anger remains.  Grief remains.  In the days after 9-11 the word rang out: “Never Forget.”  But does this mean that we can’t move into the future?     As we wonder about how to move on, the past remains vivid.  Have you pondered the question of where you were when you first heard the news about the planes hitting the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and then the news about another jet crashing into a field in Pennsylvania?    This event question ranks with the news about Pearl Harbor, the Oklahoma City Bombing,  the assassination of John Kennedy, his brother Bobby,...

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 Last week we heard a word from the Gospel of Luke about a risk-taking and extravagantly-loving God, who will do everything and anything to restore humanity to fellowship with God and with one’s neighbor. It’s also a word about a God who likes to celebrate this fact with a party. It’s a pretty powerful and wonderful word. But there’s another word to be found in Scripture, and it also needs to be heard. That word is found in today’s lesson from Jeremiah. 1. The Cry of the Wounded Heart Nine years ago, on the second Sunday after September 11th, I preached from this very text. Like today, it was the lectionary reading from the Old Testament, but it spoke directly to the shock that our nation was still experiencing. It offered a word of consolation to people, trying to make sense of the horrific events of the previous week. As I took to the pulpit that day and preached my sermon, I tried to wrestle with the grief and the anger people were feeling. I reflected on the a...

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 When I last took up this text, six years ago today, it was the second Sunday after September 11, 2001. I think we all have memories of that day, and even two Sundays later, we were still in a state of shock. As I preached that day, I tried to make sense of what had happened just days before. I tried to wrestle with the grief and the anger people were feeling. I reflected on the angry calls for vengeance, which were understandable. I then tried to offer a different perspective, one that reflected the nature and character of the God we know and love in Jesus. That Sunday I tried to make sense of what had happened by using Jeremiah as my lens. As I read this text I heard words of judgement and despair, and then I went looking for words of consolation and hope. In many ways the shadow of September 11, 2001 still hangs over our nation. The anger, the despair, and the fear engendered by the events of that day remain with us. But it’s not just 9-11 that casts a shadow over o...