Sunday, September 8, 2002
Offered by Dana Ferguson, Associate Pastor for Mission

God of all ages, of what has been and what should not have been, of what was hoped for and what was never imagined, of what might be and what can be, we come to you this day remembering—remembering the innocence that was and the lives that were lost. We have begun to learn what it means to live in times when our world will never be the same again. A hole was ripped into the landscape of this country, and even a year later, when the debris of buildings and planes has been cleared; wounds of this country and the wreckage of individuals’ lives seem all too fresh. And so we pray this day for the grieving, who put one foot in front of the other and move into another day; for those who for months were a part of the family of the recovery workers at Ground Zero and now are learning to again be a part of the family of the living; for leaders who have struggled to make decisions of integrity in the shadow of grave evil; for those who cannot shake the nightmares in the night; and for those who faraway continue to live in the midst of warfare.

Draw us to the well of faith that sustained generations through all times—through famine and warfare, terror and trauma, vengeance and violence. Now that the dust of the demise has settled and the sky is clear, give us a clear picture of who you are in this world and who you would have us be. When we are tempted to remember only the pictures of hate in burning buildings, put before us a picture of love and determination known through grief shared, prayers uttered, doors opened, hands outstretched, and lives rearranged to care for survivors. When we are tempted to look in the closets of clothes untouched for a year and remember only the dead, put before us a picture of clothes for the young worn thin from living and laughing, learning and loving. When we are tempted to look skyward in fear, let us see a sky of love, a sky of mercy, a sky of glory, and dream a life of goodness and of grace. If we yearn an eye for an eye, remind us that your justice does not equal human vengeance. Let us not act according to what has been done to us but what has been done for us in Jesus Christ. In so doing, may the memories of those past make us better for the generations to come. May their strength give us strength; may their faith give us faith; may their hope give us hope; may their love bring us love.

Remind us, O God, not only of our obligation to those gone before us but also to those to come. Let us tell the stories of goodness and giving so that they might not remember only stories of hatred. Let us not lose faith in your power to bring new life in the midst of darkness, to rise up among us in goodness and dignity, in human lives valued and communities that live to serve one another. Make us stronger to build a world full of love and compassion, hope and promise, that it might be known through the actions of the people of this world that goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, light is stronger than darkness, truth is stronger than lies. For we pray this and all things for the sake of your people and in the name of Jesus Christ saying, Our Father . . .

(Portions of this prayer taken from “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen)

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church