Tell the story. Really, its that simple: Tell the story. If you dont know the story, do your research and become familiar with the story, then tell the story. It is the only way that 9-11-01 will not become part of the distant, barely recognizable past. Tell the story, not as a way of getting even with someone whom you dont know or for stirring up animosity towards others whose motives are not your own. Tell the story that you, your family, your friends, and those around you with whom you share the journey, remember their root, remember the fear, remember the tears, and remember the sacrifice. Tell the story clearly, fully, passionately, that others know this is not about religious persecution, nor is it about national or ethnic prejudice. Tell the story to identify the dangers of fringe groups, ultra-radical groups, striking out on their own and the damage such actions can create in our own, yes our own, world community. Tell the story, because it is about sisters and brothers around the world who are desperately crying out for justice and equity - and, for some, striking out at buildings and innocent bystanders in foreign lands becomes a measure of redemption, a prayer, however misguided, for deliverance. Tell the story precisely because it is our story . . . not your exclusive story, our story, a piece of our National story, a cosmic wisp of eternal truth in human relationships, an experience which touched our shores, a moment which forever changed our lives. Tell the story. Yes, remember where you were when first you saw, when first you heard, when first you experienced, when first you cried out . . . for that, too is part of the story: It is your first-hand account, your first-person sharing of that which others were going through, however distant to your own geography and beliefs. Tell the story of silent skies and the absence of contrails. Tell the story of heroes who rushed in, never to return. Tell the story of rescuers who braved the dust and death to save whomever they might find. Tell the story of those who put their training to the test and those who prayed for their success. Tell the story of our men and women in the military who rose up in driven response and struck out with precise action. Tell the story of men and women in other lands who had no hand in creating this story, yet whose lives were inexorably changed as they became recipients of a war they did not want. Tell the story of mangled steel and overturned statues, of defiant foes and crushed widows and orphans. Tell the story of First-Responders honored and National pride swelling. Tell the story of unity and care for those whose story was taken from them. Tell the story. For St. Paul United Church of Christ in Lebanon, this years class of Confirmation students were not born when the World Trade Towers were struck. They had not breathed a breath when another airliner went down in the fields of Pennsylvania. They had not begun to envision their place in our world when the Pentagon was left with a gaping hole. To them, this day exists only as a story, our story, aided by visuals, filled out by graphic videos and news spots, and surrounded by continued mourning, commitment to justice and a hope for peace in the future of humankind. To these Confirmands, 9-11-01 is a day in time . . . not so unlike the stories they have heard about Viet Nam, Korea, the Gulf Wars, Grenada, and a host of other wars and conflicts, with one crucial caveat: this story begins on the shores of the United States of America. It started on the mainland, in our place of greatest security, real or perceived. It started here. Tell the story, especially as our President leads our country into the even darker days of addressing another terrorist threat in ISIS. Tell the story, not to make others afraid of what might happen, but to inspire our communities, our states, our nation towards an alternative future informed by those who will not forget, as some have already done, that God is the God of all nations, not just this nation and that in telling the story we are committing ourselves anew that it never happen again anywhere. Never. Tell the story. Like standing at attention, hand over your heart, when the American flag passes in a parade or when singing the National Anthem, when you tell the story you become a part of it, an integral, intimate participant our ongoing journey towards the future God intends for all of humankind. Tell the story . . . for in telling it in truth you stave off the degradation of having others forge and tell a truth and story you pray never to live. Tell the story . . . and may those who have been lost on that day - and in all the days and years since - never be forgotten, nor their lives and futures left to the happenstance will of those who never knew them. Tell the story, our story . . . and may it shape your heart for peace and justice in this and every generation. Tell the story of September 11, 2001. We will not forget. I will not forget.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 13:31:07 +0000