Dear fellow believers,

     Where were you when it happened?
     September 11, 2001.  Do you remember how you heard the news?  Do you remember what you were doing at the time?
     I think all of us will remember that day.  Anger, fear, shock, sadness, patriotism, courage, solidarity - these are the things we remember about last September.  And it's been an entire year.  Cleanup, notifying families, all night vigils, Afghanistan, war, rebuilding - it seems like only yesterday.
     Yet in our fast paced world, it's still easy to forget.  When the clean up is over and the war is a footnote on the evening news, the shock is still there.  When the flags are taken down and singing "God Bless America" no longer puts a lump in your throat, the hurt is still there.  And when the economy and its big players become the new national concern, the sadness is still there.
     Friends, we were all touched - even changed - by the events of last September 11th.  But remember this - The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.  (Lamentations 3:22-23).  That's why Christians don't live in fear, although we've known fear.  That's why Christians don't live in the depths of sadness, although we've walked through the valley of the shadow of death.  And that's why Christians look forward to what tomorrow will bring, even though we have lived through days of pain and grief. 
     God is with us.  Don't forget that.  No matter what happened or may happen.  The promises of God are stronger than any evil this world can contain.
     On September 11, 2002, remember that God is still in control.
May God be with us as we remember together,
Pastor Jon