The Villager Voice
Today is a day of solemn remembrance, not just for Americans, but for the world – it is the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks against our nation. As we pause to grieve, we also pause to reflect. 2,977 lives were lost in the attacks, plus the 19 hijackers: 2,606 at New York’s World Trade Center (including first responders), 184 at the Pentagon and 40 in Shanksville, PA. And while the United States, indeed, much of the world, came together in solidarity in the days and weeks to follow, we also allowed our differences to fragment us. Some called for immediate revenge; others counseled caution until all the facts were known; still others wondered if years of American aggression around the world brought the tragedy upon us. One need not hold any of these points of view to acknowledge that what was momentarily a unified response quickly fell into factionalism, one with which the nation still struggles today.
Let today inspire the dismantling of those things that separate us. May the divisions of race, class, party, nationality, and privilege be subsumed and overcome by our commitment to build or rebuild the bonds that bring us together. Writing about the deep fissures, religious, ethnic, cultural and national between Jews and Christians in the days of the early church, Paul encourages the Ephesians, “[Christ] is our peace; in the flesh he has made both groups one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” At this quarter-century mark of one of the greatest tragedies our nation has known, may Paul’s words be the road map forward for us, and for all.
Remember this Sunday is our annual Rally Day All-Church Picnic – Rain or Shine – please bring a dish to share and join us in breaking bread and creating fellowship together.
Links to this week’s bulletin and service are here: