September 11, 2006
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
This past Friday, many of our Lutheran sisters and brothers gathered at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan to remember the events of September 11, 2001. Five years ago, in the midst of national tumult, we learned much about ourselves. We were reminded of the fragility of life and feeling secure, and we witnessed a deep outpouring of compassion and love to help and serve. Our police, fire, and rescue workers, along with other first responders, redefined heroism for an entire generation.
One of the hymns sung by those gathered on Friday was, “My Lord, What a Morning”, Hymn 627 from “With One Voice.” The third verse, “you’ll hear the Christian shout, to wake the nations underground, looking to my God’s right hand, when the stars begin to fall,” reminds us that we are called as the body of Christ to a ministry of healing, justice and reconciliation * a ministry modeled after Jesus’ actions in challenging those in positions of power and authority and standing in solidarity with the poor, the marginalized and the voiceless.
Today we remember all those, both in this country and around the world, whose lives were forever changed just five short years ago. We pray for political and religious leaders, that they might make decisions with a mind for justice. We pray for those who would do us harm. We pray that peace and hope might prevail over anger and violence in our broken world.
In remembrance,
Heather L. Feltman
Executive Director, Lutheran Disaster Response
Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
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