Lest We Forget
Joyce and I visited the National September 11 Memorial while in NYC in the summer of 2018. It’s actually two memorials, each taking up one of the footprints of the Twin Towers, collectively known as the World Trade Center, that came down in the attack now known simply as 9/11. They are reflecting pools 30 feet below street level, the surrounding walls functioning as waterfalls. Those walls extend above ground about 4 ½ feet, with the perimeter topped with dark stone engraved with the names of those who perished in the incident… here, some of the first responders are memorialized.
Have you ever really thought exactly what a “first responder” is? Most first responders have training as military, police, firefighters, or EMS, and are the first to respond to emergency or traumatic incidents. That said, you can train ‘til the cows come home to serve and protect, yet no training whatsoever prepares anyone to run into the fray as these people did, eventually giving their life to save others. Could you do that? I know the answer where I’m concerned.
Years ago, when I was still in the service, I was on my way to my parents’ home in Perry, Georgia, late at night after friends had taken me to a concert in Macon for my birthday. Late though it was, I was in good spirits while driving through the countryside, when I noticed a glow on the horizon. Curiosity got the best of me, so I headed away from my intended route to check out that bright spot in the night. What I found was a huge two-story house with its roof totally in flames. Since this was a time before the advent of cellular phones, my first course of action was to go to a neighboring house for a call for help. The fact that it was 2 o’clock in the morning made me realize that there was an element of risk in waking some stranger in this rural place, even given the situation. Sure enough, after banging on the neighbor’s door, he arrived without opening it, and informed me that he had a shotgun, and that I should make my wants known quickly... I stood to one side of the door for that very reason. Within seconds, he understood the circumstances, and called the fire department. That being done, I made my way over to the burning house.
I remember standing there alone, the surrounding area lit by flames that had already consumed the house past any point of repair. I was consumed as well with the thought that someone may be in there, in danger of succumbing to smoke and burning to death. I had been burned rather badly before, and I could not stand the thought of anyone helplessly enduring such a fate. Without much thought as to my own safety, I felt the front door to test it for excessive heat, then broke it open, checked out the interior as best I could from the doorway, yelled for anyone that might respond, and then ran up the stairs. In places, the ceiling was already coming down, starting new fires along my path. The air was somewhat clear of smoke close to the floor, so I would dip down low to get a breath as I charged from room to room… but there was nobody there. I felt somewhat safer as I inspected the first floor, but it, too, was abandoned and beginning to fill with smoke. The only person in that house that needed saving was me. I got back outside in time to see the first fire crews pull up.
Within minutes of my return outside, the fire had taken on a new character, and I realized that this house, of which some family valued as their home, would in no way be saved (I would find out later that it was an antebellum house that was under reconstruction, and no one was living there at the time). The roof collapsed to the second floor with a roar, where only a short time before I had been standing. I told the firefighter who was apparently in charge that I had checked inside and found the house to be vacant, and he nodded in reply, and spoke into a radio. Later, during a lull in the action, he chewed me out for my reckless behavior, which I definitely understood. I understood because with little to do other than watch the house go up in smoke, I had the time to think about what I had just done… my conclusion was that I was perhaps crazy. The fact that nobody had been in danger apart from the one who placed himself squarely in it, namely me, made me critical of my involvement. The temperature that evening had hit a low of 10°F, which rarely happens in middle Georgia. I remember the effects of feeling a bit like being on a rotisserie, with one side roasting and the other side freezing. What I remember most though about that moment was how useless I felt while the firefighters worked to keep the blaze confined to the structure.
I was about to leave when the fire captain that had earlier chastised me called me over to say that my actions might well have saved the life of some of his crew, as they surely would have attempted to do the same thing when they first arrived - because that’s what first responders do - and he thanked me. That had not occurred to me at the time. I went home feeling better about the events of that evening… and carried a lesson I never forgot. It also set a precedence for the man I try to be.
Over the years, I have equipped myself better to handle many impending emergencies, but even superbly trained firefighters understand that regardless of their preparation, with fire comes a fearfully unpredictable nature. Because you can charge into a burning house is no guarantee of your ability to charge out of it. There is risk involved in such action, running headlong into danger with the possibility of not making it out alive. The people mentioned in this etched memorial likely may not have stood out in a crowd and their last thoughts no doubt were of loved ones… but they were born to be heroes. Would you have hesitated to run into that house if you knew your children were there in peril? You would do anything you could to save them, including the exchange of your own life for theirs because your love for them is so great. If you understand this truth, you have the beginnings to appreciate exactly what Jesus did for every one of us as He stepped to the cross… but how is that relevant to us now?
I remember driving to church that Sunday, September 16, 2001. The church I attended at the time, was 24 miles from my front door... that drive took me through part of Durham, onto I-85, and into the countryside through to Cedar Grove. I passed many other churches along the way... one thing they had in common that day was that each church appeared to be experiencing an overflow condition known as SRO... Standing Room Only. Americans were responding to events of the previous week. They were looking for answers. Some found answers in acts of revenge against other Americans who had similar complexions as those who committed the attacks. Most Americans, however, were trying to wrap their minds around rapidly changing conditions and exactly how justice would be served.
I know without doubt that some of those churches had little to no answer to 9/11, other than to make poor attempts to sooth and console those in attendance. I know because that occurred at my church. In the ensuing weeks, those SRO numbers tapered back to 'normal' conditions... the crowds obviously didn't find the answer they were hoping for. With their 'repentance' taken care of, they might return at Christmas, or Easter... or not. The message the Church needed at the time came from Chuck Colson two days after the event: “Paul wrote to the Romans, Overcome evil with good. One of the reasons I believe the Christian Gospel couldn't be a made-up religion, as some people think, is that it tells us to do those things which are contrary to our human nature when evil is done to us. The human instinct is to respond with evil. The result is that evil triumphs. In this case, if we respond to the terrorist attacks with evil, the terrorists win. But the Gospel tells us to act exactly contrary to our own nature: to respond to evil with good.”
The 2nd Chapter of Revelation opens with a description of the Church of Ephesus, a church not unlike many others, even today, busy about the things that Christians do, which is a good thing, right? Jesus took issue with that in verse 4: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first." Just exactly what - or who - is that first love? Why does it matter? There's a whole lot to be said for that statement, especially concerning the condition of this world 20 years after 9/11... it also means the answer so many were looking for then is the same as it is now. If folks understood the depth of that answer, the Ultimate First Responder who bore the sins of this world to save us, Sundays would still see SRO conditions at every church.
On September 11, 2001, 19 Islamic terrorists gave their lives in Jihad as they turned four large commercial aircraft into guided missiles. 2977 innocent people became victims that day in their unholy war, to have the world bow to their vision of what is just before their god. Around 33 A.D., another man gave His life so that all may be justified through Him and live. There's an answer for us all in there somewhere.
John 3:12 – “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’”
John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Jim Elliot – “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Lest We Forget
Joyce and I visited the National September 11 Memorial while in NYC in the summer of 2018. It’s actually two memorials, each taking up one of the footprints of the Twin Towers, collectively known as the World Trade Center, that came down in the attack now known simply as 9/11. They are reflecting pools 30 feet below street level, the surrounding walls functioning as waterfalls. Those walls extend above ground about 4 ½ feet, with the perimeter topped with dark stone engraved with the names of those who perished in the incident… here, some of the first responders are memorialized.
Have you ever really thought exactly what a “first responder” is? Most first responders have training as military, police, firefighters, or EMS, and are the first to respond to emergency or traumatic incidents. That said, you can train ‘til the cows come home to serve and protect, yet no training whatsoever prepares anyone to run into the fray as these people did, eventually giving their life to save others. Could you do that? I know the answer where I’m concerned.
Years ago, when I was still in the service, I was on my way to my parents’ home in Perry, Georgia, late at night after friends had taken me to a concert in Macon for my birthday. Late though it was, I was in good spirits while driving through the countryside, when I noticed a glow on the horizon. Curiosity got the best of me, so I headed away from my intended route to check out that bright spot in the night. What I found was a huge two-story house with its roof totally in flames. Since this was a time before the advent of cellular phones, my first course of action was to go to a neighboring house for a call for help. The fact that it was 2 o’clock in the morning made me realize that there was an element of risk in waking some stranger in this rural place, even given the situation. Sure enough, after banging on the neighbor’s door, he arrived without opening it, and informed me that he had a shotgun, and that I should make my wants known quickly... I stood to one side of the door for that very reason. Within seconds, he understood the circumstances, and called the fire department. That being done, I made my way over to the burning house.
I remember standing there alone, the surrounding area lit by flames that had already consumed the house past any point of repair. I was consumed as well with the thought that someone may be in there, in danger of succumbing to smoke and burning to death. I had been burned rather badly before, and I could not stand the thought of anyone helplessly enduring such a fate. Without much thought as to my own safety, I felt the front door to test it for excessive heat, then broke it open, checked out the interior as best I could from the doorway, yelled for anyone that might respond, and then ran up the stairs. In places, the ceiling was already coming down, starting new fires along my path. The air was somewhat clear of smoke close to the floor, so I would dip down low to get a breath as I charged from room to room… but there was nobody there. I felt somewhat safer as I inspected the first floor, but it, too, was abandoned and beginning to fill with smoke. The only person in that house that needed saving was me. I got back outside in time to see the first fire crews pull up.
Within minutes of my return outside, the fire had taken on a new character, and I realized that this house, of which some family valued as their home, would in no way be saved (I would find out later that it was an antebellum house that was under reconstruction, and no one was living there at the time). The roof collapsed to the second floor with a roar, where only a short time before I had been standing. I told the firefighter who was apparently in charge that I had checked inside and found the house to be vacant, and he nodded in reply, and spoke into a radio. Later, during a lull in the action, he chewed me out for my reckless behavior, which I definitely understood. I understood because with little to do other than watch the house go up in smoke, I had the time to think about what I had just done… my conclusion was that I was perhaps crazy. The fact that nobody had been in danger apart from the one who placed himself squarely in it, namely me, made me critical of my involvement. The temperature that evening had hit a low of 10°F, which rarely happens in middle Georgia. I remember the effects of feeling a bit like being on a rotisserie, with one side roasting and the other side freezing. What I remember most though about that moment was how useless I felt while the firefighters worked to keep the blaze confined to the structure.
I was about to leave when the fire captain that had earlier chastised me called me over to say that my actions might well have saved the life of some of his crew, as they surely would have attempted to do the same thing when they first arrived - because that’s what first responders do - and he thanked me. That had not occurred to me at the time. I went home feeling better about the events of that evening… and carried a lesson I never forgot. It also set a precedence for the man I try to be.
Over the years, I have equipped myself better to handle many impending emergencies, but even superbly trained firefighters understand that regardless of their preparation, with fire comes a fearfully unpredictable nature. Because you can charge into a burning house is no guarantee of your ability to charge out of it. There is risk involved in such action, running headlong into danger with the possibility of not making it out alive. The people mentioned in this etched memorial likely may not have stood out in a crowd and their last thoughts no doubt were of loved ones… but they were born to be heroes. Would you have hesitated to run into that house if you knew your children were there in peril? You would do anything you could to save them, including the exchange of your own life for theirs because your love for them is so great. If you understand this truth, you have the beginnings to appreciate exactly what Jesus did for every one of us as He stepped to the cross… but how is that relevant to us now?
I remember driving to church that Sunday, September 16, 2001. The church I attended at the time, was 24 miles from my front door... that drive took me through part of Durham, onto I-85, and into the countryside through to Cedar Grove. I passed many other churches along the way... one thing they had in common that day was that each church appeared to be experiencing an overflow condition known as SRO... Standing Room Only. Americans were responding to events of the previous week. They were looking for answers. Some found answers in acts of revenge against other Americans who had similar complexions as those who committed the attacks. Most Americans, however, were trying to wrap their minds around rapidly changing conditions and exactly how justice would be served.
I know without doubt that some of those churches had little to no answer to 9/11, other than to make poor attempts to sooth and console those in attendance. I know because that occurred at my church. In the ensuing weeks, those SRO numbers tapered back to 'normal' conditions... the crowds obviously didn't find the answer they were hoping for. With their 'repentance' taken care of, they might return at Christmas, or Easter... or not. The message the Church needed at the time came from Chuck Colson two days after the event: “Paul wrote to the Romans, Overcome evil with good. One of the reasons I believe the Christian Gospel couldn't be a made-up religion, as some people think, is that it tells us to do those things which are contrary to our human nature when evil is done to us. The human instinct is to respond with evil. The result is that evil triumphs. In this case, if we respond to the terrorist attacks with evil, the terrorists win. But the Gospel tells us to act exactly contrary to our own nature: to respond to evil with good.”
The 2nd Chapter of Revelation opens with a description of the Church of Ephesus, a church not unlike many others, even today, busy about the things that Christians do, which is a good thing, right? Jesus took issue with that in verse 4: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first." Just exactly what - or who - is that first love? Why does it matter? There's a whole lot to be said for that statement, especially concerning the condition of this world 20 years after 9/11... it also means the answer so many were looking for then is the same as it is now. If folks understood the depth of that answer, the Ultimate First Responder who bore the sins of this world to save us, Sundays would still see SRO conditions at every church.
On September 11, 2001, 19 Islamic terrorists gave their lives in Jihad as they turned four large commercial aircraft into guided missiles. 2977 innocent people became victims that day in their unholy war, to have the world bow to their vision of what is just before their god. Around 33 A.D., another man gave His life so that all may be justified through Him and live. There's an answer for us all in there somewhere.
John 3:12 – “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’”
John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Jim Elliot – “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”