A Prayer For Our Enemies

God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
     We confess that in times of tragedy we do not want to love our enemies.  We do not want to grant them mercy. We do not want to acknowledge that You created them in the same way that You created us.
     We are unwilling to accept that you love them in the same way that you love us.  We want them to be judged more harshly by You than You would judge us.
     As humans, we have confused and perverted the words "justice" and "revenge." We want revenge; we don't seek justice.
     We want revenge: We want to be God - We want to be You. We want to make the ultimate decisions of others' fates. We think we know what should be done.  They hurt us and the ones we love, after all.
     You seek justice. You seek that the wrongdoers face consequences for their actions by other humans but that those consequences not be doled out in revenge.  You are the only one capable of revenge because only You know the entire story.

     We can take comfort that you also know our pain. You know that we live in a broken world. You know that seeking revenge is more common than seeking justice, but you give us a higher calling.  You've called us to live in your son's image and into His example through the power of the Holy Spirit.
     Empower us to not only tolerate our enemies but to pray for them and to love them.  Yes, God, I did say love.  Even I do not want to love my enemies, but I pray that you guide me in a direction to where I will want to love them.
     Our enemies have done terrible things.  But we are only to carry out justice; not revenge.
     When our hearts are hardened with thoughts of revenge, we pray for a softening that will lead us to turn to You and put judgement back in your hands.  When hate fills our minds, we pray for love.  For only in love are we freed from fear.  And fear is the ultimate enemy that tortures us and causes us to hate and seek revenge.
     We ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever. Amen!

We Want to Forget the Day we will Always Remember

9/11/2001 - A day we want to forget...A day we will always remember.  

What can I say about this day that has not already been said?  I considered a reverent silence on this subject, but I'm not so sure that is appropriate.  Nor am I sure it's appropriate to even comment on what happened.  I don't want to rehash old wounds for the sake of going through those emotions again, but yet I don't want to forget how that day changed the world.

What can I say to a man or woman who lost a spouse on that day?  What could I say to children who lost a parent that day?  What could I say to a parent who lost a child?  What can I say to people who lost friends and loved ones?  What can I say to a nation that lost its sense of security?  What can I say to Muslims who had nothing to do with this attack who have been mistreated?  What can I say to the soldier who was called to active war duty?  What can I say to innocent civilians in other nations who lost loved ones in a war in which they had no stake?  What could I say to the innocent families of terrorists who saw the terrorist as "daddy," or "husband," or "brother," or "son?"  What can I say to innocent New York City residents both then and now whose city was under attack?  What can I say to those in Washington DC whose city was targeted?  What can I say to the small town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania where a plane being used as a weapon crashed?  What can I say to children born after the attacks but live in a completely different world from the one adults grew up in?

We all remember where we were when the planes hit the Twin Towers.  Most of us thought the first crash was due to pilot error, or a problem with the plane.  Then came the second plane.  Then, we knew it was a coordinated attack.  I remember that I was teaching at the time.  I had a 4th grade class in my music room when their homeroom teacher came and delivered the news.  I had to wait over an hour before I could get to a TV.

For some reason, the attack on the Pentagon has not been as much of a conversation topic, but none the less, lives were lost.  People who were just doing their daily work died.  Those people also had faces, names, and family and friends.

The small town of Shanksville, PA was also attacked.  This was not an attack on them, per se; the plane was bound for another "high profile" target.  But, the passengers attacked the terrorists and the plane crashed into a field.

I was near Shanksville just over a week before the attacks.  I was visiting a friend in Somerset, PA, just a few miles from Shanksville.  My visit was a peaceful one.  It was to visit an old friend and relax from the job search I was doing.  I got my rest on that trip.  I spent quality time with a good friend.  And by the grace of God, I was called by a school district that hired me while I was there.  Just over a week later, the entire small, safe town changed.

I don't want to look at 9/11 as a sacred event...It is completely the opposite.  People who felt victimized for whatever reason decided to act violently, and not just violently, but also to spread fear.  Their plan worked...for a while at least.

What can we learn from 9/11?  Here are some thoughts:
1.  9/11 shows us the destructive nature of violence.  What if these people entered into dialogue with those whom they saw as "the enemy?"  What if they used their talent for violence to be a talent for peace making?  Can we do the same?  It's easy to hate our enemies (both in the international sense as well in our personal lives).  We probably won't do anything as drastic as the 9/11 attacks, but can we dialogue with and pray for our enemies?  Can we be the peacemakers?

2.  We must never think of 9/11 as a "Holy Day."  It's a day to remember and memorialize those who were lost.  It's a day to feel sad.  It's a day to pray.  It is a day that our country will not (and should not) forget.  But, as we remember this day, we need to be of the Anti-9/11-Terrorist-Mindset.  We need to use this day as a springboard for doing good...for loving more...for praying more.

3.  We need to remember that we were NEVER at war WITH Afghanistan and Iraq.  I will not go into political right vs. wrong here, but we were NEVER at war with these countries.  We were/are at war with individuals from those countries.  We cannot say that ALL Iraqis or Afghanis are bad.  In the same way, we can not say that ALL Americans are good (or bad).  All societies have good and bad.  We need to remember that just like us, the normal Iraqi or Afghani had nothing to do with these attacks.  The average person in both nations wants to lead a life of meaning and to better their lives for their children and younger generations as we do.

4.  Islam is not the enemy.  I will refrain from the term "Radical Islam" because I'm not sure what it means.  In the same way, I refuse to use "Liberal," "Conservative," or "Fundamentalist" as they apply to religion or politics.  Islam is not our enemy.  True, those who attacked us were Muslims, but their religion did not attack us.  When the Christian Terrorist attacked innocent civilians in Norway, Christianity was not the enemy; the terrorist was.  We should not fear or hate Islam.  Muslims obviously have different theologies and customs from Christians.  We need to love our Muslim brothers and sisters as we love our Christian brothers and sisters.  We need to show them (and the whole world) God's love. We will disagree on many important issues, but hate must never come into the dialogue.

5.  Whether you are pro-war (I mean that in the sense that you feel that war is sometimes justified - NOT that pro-war people see war as the only solution), pacifist, or a Just War advocate, we all need to be Pro-Peace and Pro-Love.  From veterans I've talked to, war is "hell on earth."  While those I talked to saw their service in war as a duty, they saw it as a last resort after diplomatic solutions failed.  We need to remember that Christ calls us to love our enemies.  Every believer needs to determine what that means.  But, even those who see no moral conflict with war can see that we must first strive for peace.  We need to remember that Christ calls us to forgive.  Not just to forgive the easy things, but to also forgive the hard things.

A word on forgiveness:  Forgiveness doesn't mean we forget what happened.  It doesn't mean that we don't still harbor feelings of pain.  Forgiveness is what we extend in saying "You hurt me...but let's work this out."  It's what we do when we realize we cannot judge and sentence anyone to eternal reward or punishment and accept that only God has that right.  Forgiveness is not letting your heart be hardened beyond repair because of the evil done to you.  Forgiveness is ugly!  It makes us go through emotions and internal battles we do not want.  But yet, Christ tells us to forgive.

On this 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, join God's side.  Spread love to those who need it.  Give comfort to those who mourn.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  And who is my neighbor???  The world is our neighbor.

Also remember that in Christ we do not need to be afraid.  What the terrorists wanted to steal is something that cannot be taken from us unless we give it away.  "Perfect love casts out fear."  Love God enough that God's grace and blessings free you from your fears.

Thoughts on Osama bin Laden's Death

First of all, let me tell you I'm not an eloquent speaker/writer who can say anything with a poetic tone.  Second of all, I don't believe this man deserves our attention more than is necessary. But, over the next few weeks/months and maybe years, we'll all be hearing about his life, crimes, and death.  With that being the case, I made him the topic of my sermon in church today.  What follows is an adaptation of that sermon.

This sermon was based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Many people are familiar with this Biblical passage from a song written by Pete Seeger and also made popular by The Byrds.

Today will not be a typical sermon:

      *It deals w/ a specific issue, not general every day issues.

      *I felt this issue needed to be addressed in the church because over next few weeks/months you will hear everyone from TV preachers/politicians/news analysts analyze this situation, but as Christians, we need to let scripture form our minds, not those people.  (Even my words are not the last that should be said on this issue.  You may find that you agree, you may find that you disagree, and that is fine.  But in your agreement/disagreement, make sure it is by God's word and not the words of some political pundit that influences your thoughts).

Last Sunday Night if you stayed up late enough, you heard:  "Osama bin Laden was killed"

      *For many of us, this moment brought back memories; some of those memories were things we would have liked to have forgotten.

            -Many can answer the following question:  Where were you on 9/11?

            

      *Tragic events do that to us.  Many people can answer the following questions:

            -Where were you when JFK was killed?

            -When Challenger exploded?

            -Bombing of Pearl Harbor?

            -Other tragic events in your own life?

I was conflicted all week IF this should be addressed

      *I felt that the best response is silence

            -Not silence meant to avoid issue, but silence meant to allow people to form own opinions.

            -Then I had a discussion w/ a friend who pointed out a painful reality to me:  Often the pulpit is                         too silent on social issues – OUCH!!! – At that point, I realized it wasn't the Holy Spirit being silent to me, but I was shutting out the work of the Holy Spirit.  Once I came to realize my friend was right, I was bombarded with thoughts.

Ecclesiastes talks about there being a time for everything, but we must ask: Are these God’s words (or are they at least words inspired by God)? 

      -Before you shut me out as a heretic, let me explain:  Scripture IS inspired.

      -But, Not all scripture is God’s word.  For example, the words of demons to Jesus are not God's words, though the do fulfill God's purpose in showing Jesus' power over the demons).

      -By all accounts and analyzation, It seems that this passage IS God’s word (or God's inspired word through the author) – It does not say that  God condones all things, but that everything is in God’s hands.

      -This passage is an example of Ancient Hebrew writing where limits are defined in order to encompass everything in the middle.  For example, God created Man and Woman....but those limits also include children, teens, young adults (Everything between Man and Woman).  God created Night and Day...but those limits include everything in between (twilight, dawn, etc.).  This passage is a message that God's hands are in all things.

On to the topic:  Osama bin Laden:

      *He was a Blood Thirsty Terrorist

      *He was a Murderer (3000+ in 1 day on 9/11) + other’s who have died in attacks in other countries and deaths from resulting wars.  The blood on this 1 person's hands is in the Tens of Thousands (maybe even hundreds of thousands).

      *Osama bin Ladan was a man of violence and hate.

      *He said he spoke for Muslims, but except for a very small minority, the majority of  Muslims reject him and his teachings. – We cannot judge Islam based on his interpretation of Islam.

       *If we accept bin Laden as a true Muslim, then we must be willing to accept those who have used Christianity and a perversion of the Christian Message to murderous ends.  Though there are many examples throughout history, here are 2 who have perverted the Gospel and taught hate and lies:

                  -Jim Jones- Cult leader in Jonestown

                  -David Koresh- Waco, TX

This next part is hard to swallow...even for me.  But, as Christians we must recognize it.  Osama bin Laden also had a side we never saw and probably never contemplated:

      *He had a soul.  What he chose to do with that soul appears as if he separated it from God to attain his own evil and violent ends, but none the less, he did have a soul just like all of God's creation.

      *He was Created by God to Love God as were we.

      *He was knit together in his mother’s womb as were we.

      *He was loved by God.  Obviously God didn't approve of his message, but God loved the person none the less.

      *As a God of Justice and Reconciliation, I'm sure that through out bin Laden's reign of terror, God worked on his heart to change him.  From all appearances, bin Laden rejected this.

            -As far as we know, he didn’t respond to the Love of God.

            -As far as we know, he rejected the good news of God.

            -Obviously, he didn’t live the love Christ Taught.

All week, I was conflicted.  How should we Christians feel about his death?

      *Is it ok to celebrate?

      *Should we mourn his death?

I believe the answer is somewhere in the middle.

      *Christians believe in Justice, not Revenge

            -Whether he should/shouldn’t have been killed is really a non issue because he chose his own path.  I would guess that capturing him would have resulted in his death in one form or another.

            -It's OK to be honest – All of us are at least partially glad he’s gone!

                      *It's nice to know he will never kill again!

                      *It's nice to know that the grieving families don't have to think that this murderer escaped justice.

            -Maybe some of us would have even like to have been the one to pull the trigger.

      *But, do we celebrate?

            *Ezekiel 18:32 says:  "For I have no pleasure in the  death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live."

            *In this passage, Death means separation from God/Hell – It doesn't mean physical dying

            *We can celebrate he will never kill again

            *But, we fool ourselves if we think others will not fill his spot.

            *The death of one man, no matter how evil, does not rid the world of evil.

            *To celebrate his death (as in having parties, screaming cheers, etc.) only shows that we have the same tendencies he had.  When the 9/11 attacks happened, bin Laden celebrated.  We can be glad he cannot kill anymore, but to celebrate a death shows we are not any better.

            *This would have only been a cause to fully celebrate ONLY if he chose to renounce violence,                         if he turned himself in to face justice, or if he converted his way of life to one of peace and love.

      *Do we mourn?

            *We don't mourn in the way we do when a loved one dies.

            *We can mourn what could have been!

                  -He had a talent for organization - He had the largest terror network in the world.  Imagine if he used his talent for peaceful purposes.  I mourn that this wasn't the case.

                  -We can mourn because he used his talents and skills for evil purposes.

                  -We can mourn the wasted life.  He chose to follow the path of evil, and while God wants none to perish, there are limits by which we must abide.  

Admittedly, this situation leaves more questions than answers.  What I have outlined is not by any means close to the final word that should be said on the subject.  

We need to pray, educate ourselves, and pray more!

We need to also take this opportunity to look at ourselves and how we can work for the Kingdom of God.  We may not be international peacemakers, but we can make peace with neighbors, friends, family, etc.  We can make peace within ourself.  Forgive ourselves for the wrongs that God has already forgiven us.  Any gesture made for God, by God's command, and within God's will is NEVER wasted.