A Day That Haunts, A Faith That Hopes

A Pastoral Prayer for September 11, 2011

On this tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

We gather to remember an atrocious day, a day that we wish we could forget.

O God we confess our ongoing need of your transformative and emerging grace

For we are all too mindful that this date still haunts us

With memories that strike fear

And with emotions that convey pain.

As we attempt to apply your words to life,  

And to live by faith as we embrace your promise of a better future

We confess that our anger and grief from that fretful day are not nearly resolved.

            And that retaliatory impulses of vengeance and hate incubate deep within.

And yet we acknowledge that our hurt does not compare to the pain

of those who were touched more directly

through the unexpected and unfair loss

of family members, friends, and co-workers.

We shudder at the memory of horrific images of death and destruction,

We worry over the ongoing armed conflict that seems to be unending,

We grieve over the deaths of the sons and daughters of our nation,

   As well as the subsequent casualties among our allies and our adversaries.

And we long for a civilized and lasting resolution

   So that our sons and daughters may return home safely and soon

   And that those who have longed for liberation from tyranny

            Might govern and be governed with dignity and integrity.

Rather than being consumed by our grief,

            And controlled by our fears

And constrained by our anxieties,

    Let us set our minds to addressing the injustices that precipitate hostility,

    Let us direct our souls to living out our moral conviction,

    Let us turn our hearts to loving the poor,

and the disadvantaged,

and the disenfranchised.

    And let us determine to fight terror,

            Not with our own terroristic threats,

       But with a responsible and courageous exercise of freedom,

            And with a proactive and authentic faith.

 And though it runs counter to our deepest instincts,

You continue to teach us to love our enemies,

so that we do not become like them.

Today, especially today, we pray for the leaders of our nation and our world

            For the leaders of our state and our community

  To act and react with wisdom and discernment,

And to maintain a disposition that will defuse conflict

And advance the cause of peace.

And we pray for the leaders of our churches and synagogues

            And for people of diverse faiths

  To act and react with transformative grace and eternal hope,

           And to maintain a disposition that will dispel propaganda

            And advance the cause of truth and compassion.

We offer our prayer in the strong name of the One who came to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all humankind.  Amen