Month: September 2021

This is a sermon written for Sunday, September 26, 2021. It’s based on two texts from the week’s lectionary readings: Mark 9:38-50 and James 5:13-20.

This is a sermon written for Sunday, September 19, 2021. It’s connected to the text from the week’s lectionary readings: James 3:13-4:3 and Mark 9:30-37.

September 12. The day after.

For many, September 11 is a day filled with emotion. Any of us over the age of about 25 likely have some memory of that painful day twenty years ago.

For me, this day, September 11, contains multiple layers of emotions beyond the events which occurred on that fall day in 2001. There have been a few other tragic events in my own personal life for which this date holds significance, one of which happens to be yesterday.

We all have our own personal September 11th days, regardless of what day they fall on the calendar, those moments where a page was turned and a new chapter began. Some are unmistakable and easily noticeable, others subtle but still significant.

Yesterday I finished the “Ted Lasso Challenge” on the Ten Percent Happier app. If you are not familiar with Ted Lasso, I would recommend you check it out; it is currently my favorite TV show.

There is a moment in the show where the soccer team Ted coaches is handed a difficult defeat. Below is a portion of the conversation which happens between Ted and the team in the locker room after the game…

Ted: Now, look, this is a sad moment right here. For all of us. And there ain’t nothing I can say, standing in front of you right now, that can take that away.

But please do me this favor, will you? Lift your heads up and look around this locker room.

Look at everybody else in here. And I want you to be grateful that you’re going through this sad moment with all these other folks.

Because I promise you, there is something worse out there than being sad, and that is being alone and being sad. Ain’t nobody in this room alone.

Sam, do you remember what animal has the shortest memory?

Sam: A goldfish.

Ted: That’s right. It’s a goldfish. Sam, what do you think we should all do once we get done being sad and/or angry about this situation?

Sam: I think we should all be a goldfish.

Ted: I agree. Let’s be sad now. Let’s be sad together. And then we can be a gosh-darn goldfish. Onward. Forward.

There is something to be said about forgetting the past and moving forward. Now I don’t believe this kind of forgetting means we ignore the lessons of the past, stop remembering those we have lost, or acting like something never happened. Rather, this kind of forgetting is about removing the shackles of the past.

As I was sitting with the significance of September 11, 2021, in my own life, I was reflecting on the events related to the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. I have heard the mantra “Never Forget” every year around this time, and heard it and saw it yesterday.

I realize it means different things to different people, but what is it we should never forget? What about 9/11 are we hanging onto?

I wish we could never forget the days around September 11 when politicians from every party stood on the steps of the Capitol and sang together in unison. I wish we could never forget the ways we helped one another and – for a few days – forgot about the sometimes petty things that divide us.

Instead, it seems we tend to hang more on watching buildings fall and people jumping. We fixate on death and revenge. We relive the collective trauma we experienced as a nation that day.

I have studied trauma enough to know that watching images from that fateful day every year often creates more trauma for some people. I have been part of enough conversations to realize that reliving this day every year reinforces some people’s desire for retribution. I wonder if reliving those events every year is really good for us as a nation.

I acknowledge the need for families and friends who lost loved ones that day to remember and honor, and I know for some in our nation they are standing beside them.

God knows I have relived personal traumas in mind more times than I can count. I have allowed myself to descend into bitterness, anger, hatred, and self-destructive thoughts and behaviors.

Yesterday, I found myself standing on the precipice of a new day, a new chapter, and I realized that it’s time to move onward, forward.

As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12-14, where he wrote these words:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, I hope the message here resonates with you. We cannot allow ourselves to be held captive by the past. This is no small feat, especially for those who have experienced significant loss, trauma, and pain.

This is not some call to toxic positivity where we ignore the past or try to sweep it under the rug; that doesn’t work either. Rather, we mourn what has been lost, we lean on one other, and we step forward into a new day.

The past is behind us, the moments we lived unable to be changed. The future is unsure and no one is guaranteed anything tomorrow. But today, today is where we have agency. Today is where we can embrace the moment and move onward, forward.

So while we may never fully forget the pain of our past, whether a national tragedy or a personal struggle, let us step into today seeking opportunities to make this moment a place of hope, healing, and redemption.