September 11 remembered

This week we have our coach, Paul Nixon, visiting. He arrived last night and will be with us through Friday evening -- an exciting time of conversation, dreaming, planning, and imagining.

During our New Light gathering tonight, we'll remember, in a brief time of worship, the tragedy of September 11, 2001 before engaging in conversation with Paul. Our worship experience will include these powerful words written by Ted Loder:

The Final Word ~ Ted Loder
“God doesn’t control everything. We’re free to make choices and, so, to make terrible mistakes. But the key is in the resurrection — or resurrections. History suggests there’s a resurrection to the Inquisition, if only because the final word isn’t the Inquisition. The final word isn’t Hiroshima; the final word isn’t the Holocaust; the final word isn’t Pearl Harbor or September 11th or the Iraq war. Yes, all those are real, painful, terrible and evil. But none of the ‘bad stuff’ — or, for that matter, none of the ‘good stuff’ — is the end of God’s world and work in it. It’s the witness of the gospel that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That’s as much of a creed as I need. How about you?”

— from Loaves, Fishes, and Leftovers: Sharing Faith’s Deep
Questions by Ted Loder

We'll sing beautiful words attributed to Desmond Tutu:

Goodness is stronger than evil,

love is stronger than hate,

light is stronger than darkness,

life is stronger than death.

Victory is ours, victory is ours
through him who loved us!
Victory is ours, victory is ours
through him who loved us!

We'll light candles as we offer our prayers for a post-September 11 world.

And we'll listen to a beautiful song by Andrew Peterson:

After the Last Tear Falls, from "Love & Thunder"

Words and music by Andrew Osenga & Andrew Peterson

After the last tear falls

After the last secret's told

After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone

After the last child starves

And the last girl walks the boulevard

After the last year that's just too hard

There is love

Love, love, love

There is love

Love, love, love

There is love

After the last disgrace

After the last lie to save some face

After the last brutal jab from a poison tongue

After the last dirty politician

After the last meal down at the mission

After the last lonely night in prison

There is love

Love, love, love

There is love

Love, love, love

There is love

And in the end, the end is

Oceans and oceans

Of love and love again

We'll see how the tears that have fallen

Were caught in the palms

Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all

And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last plan fails

After the last siren wails

After the last young husband sails off to join the war

After the last "this marriage is over"

After the last young girl's innocence is stolen

After the last years of silence that won't let a heart open
There is love

Love, love, love

There is love

And in the end, the end is

Oceans and oceans

Of love and love again

We'll see how the tears that have fallen

Were caught in the palms

Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all

And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last tear falls

There is love

Oh, how thankful I am that after it all, there is love -- a deep and abiding love, and a Giver of Love from whom nothing will ever be able to separate us.

How will you remember September 11?

Broken Eggs

This morning, I was cooking some eggs, when two-year-old Rachel decided to reach up and grab the carton from the counter.

I was looking the other way when I heard the telltale sound: eggs cracking on the floor.

I turned around, and there stood Rachel, frozen, staring at that upended carton and six broken eggs, spreading out in a yellowy, oozing mess. The world stood still as she and I both assessed the damage, and the look of shock and panic on her face spoke volumes: she knew she had done something terribly wrong.

"It's okay, Rachel -- you made a mistake, but we'll clean it up," I said, wrapping my arms around her in a big Daddy hug. And at that moment, she and I both learned something about God's grace.