This is the sermon I preached at FBC West on Sept. 16, 2001 — five days after the Sept. 11 attacks.
How do we view the events of the past week? How do we respond to terrifying attacks that came out of nowhere, brought on by an enemy too cowardly to show his face?
Like you, I have spent a great deal of time and energy over the past week wrestling with these questions, and many more. I don’t have many answers yet, but I want to share with you the ones I do have. I believe we respond to something like this in three different ways: as individuals, as a church, and as a nation.
As Individuals
As a nation, we have to make certain decisions and take certain actions that we would rather never have to take. But as an individual facing this situation, it is important that you keep the right frame of mind and that your heart be right before God.
Peter tells us plainly what that looks like:
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9, ESV)
If you let hatred breed and grow in your heart, it will overtake you and destroy you. Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9, ESV). Those who are guilty of causing this terrible tragedy will be judged. Be careful that you don’t come under that same judgment. When someone shoots at a mosque in Irving, or yells cuss words at a person who looks Arabic, they are acting out of the same kind of hatred that controls those who attacked us.
Beloved, always remember who you are. Do not let the evil forces of this world dictate to you how you will think and what you will feel. Within this terrible experience that we must now endure, there is a place for outrage and anger. There is no place for deep-rooted hatred and personal violence.
Peter goes on:
“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” (1 Peter 3:13-15a, ESV)
Make sure you set Christ apart as Lord in your heart, and He will lead you through this thing. What then are we to do? Fly your flag. Give blood when it’s needed. Give money when you can. But above everything else, pray.
“There’s nothing we can do but pray.” Hear me, friend — there is no greater thing that can be done at a time like this than to pray. Prayer is not our last option; it is our first reaction. It is not a sign of weakness; it is evidence of strength. Prayer is not helpless resignation, but hopeful dedication. It is not the least we can do — it is the most we can do.
Pray for the injured. Pray for the families of those who have died. Pray for the valiant men and women who are working around the clock in New York and at the Pentagon to rescue as many as possible and to recover the bodies of those who cannot be rescued. Pray for our President and his advisors. Pray for our future as a nation. Pray for our enemies. Pray for peace. Pray for courage and personal strength. Above all things, pray.
That’s what David did when his enemy was closing in on him. When you get home today, carefully read Psalm 10 and Psalm 140. Notice how well those prayers fit our situation today.
As a Church
The horrific events that forced our nation into a war we neither asked for nor expected have caused hundreds of thousands of Americans to ask important questions about God and how He works. More than at any other time in my lifetime, there is a great opportunity for the church to respond to the people of our nation with love, faith, and hope.
We as a church must be ready. People are searching for truth in a world of deceit, and they are looking for peace in a world of chaos. We are the ones who know the Prince of Peace, and we are the ones who carry the light of the world.
A young man came by the parsonage this past Thursday. His aunt was in one of the towers. He wasn’t a religious man, but he wanted to pray — he just didn’t know how.
Overnight, our nation has become a field white unto harvest. In the coming weeks and months, like never before, our church will have numerous opportunities to minister to those in need and to witness to a lost world about the love and peace that only Jesus Christ can bring. Today is a day for us as a church to renew our dedication to Christ and His great commission, and to renew our efforts to do whatever it takes to reach people for Him.
As a Nation
As a nation, we have no choice but to respond swiftly and decisively. Our response, however, cannot and must not be mere retaliation. Instead, we must defend ourselves from the threat of future terrorism. If we allow the terrorists to continue their murder and destruction, they will eventually rule and ruin our nation and our world.
For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, we cannot allow that to happen. The generations who will follow us deserve a safe place to grow up, a secure place to live, and a free place to work and worship. It is our responsibility to protect the future of our nation for those who will come after us.
That means we have no choice but to commit to the long and arduous task of ridding our world of the evils of terrorism. Terrorists are the worst kind of enemy. They strike unexpectedly and then quickly return to the shadows. They are cowards who hide in darkness. As John reminds us, “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19, ESV). The time has come for some of those evildoers to be dragged out of their caves and into the light.
It is important that we, as a nation, understand what this struggle is really about. It is not Christianity versus Islam. It is freedom versus fear. It is not about retaliation, but about defense. It is not about what happened yesterday, but about what will happen tomorrow. It is liberty and justice for all versus hatred and deception. It is about proud patriots standing against faceless cowards.
Like you, I wish we were not in the position we find ourselves in today, but we were forced into it. None of us wants to go to war, but war was declared on us already, and we must now respond in order to restore peace to our world.
We must now stand united as one nation under God. We can no longer be Democrats or Republicans, Liberals or Conservatives, Catholics, Methodists, or Baptists, Caucasian, African American, Latin American, or Asian American. Today we must stand together as Americans, coming together with one distinct voice to say to those responsible: your kind of hatred and fear will not be allowed to cross our borders ever again.
Conclusion
May God bless you with strength and endurance. May He bless our nation and her leaders with wisdom and courage. And may He bless our world with peace — soon.
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