Because today is September 11, I went back and re-read the sermon I preached on September 16, 2001 in our Sunday service turned into a memorial service for the people killed in the terrorist attacks upon our nation. In the months that followed, I preached more sermons that sought to deal with the ongoing grief, anger, and issues from that awful day. Later, I put those topical 9-11 sermons together into a book with essays between them. The book, called, Why, God? has never been published but remains on my Web site.
My idea was to preserve the sermons written and preached on specific dates along with brief reflections written somewhat later but still within the context of that time in our nation’s life. In light of events that followed in our national responses to the outrage and tragedy of that day, I re-read the book with sadness, but for today, I’ll read only the immediate response in memoriam and maybe some others that help me remember the people we lost and those who loved them.
For any who wish to read the sermon, you’ll find it here at the start of the book. Be careful, the sermon is only the first three and a half pages.