Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 9/11

All good gifts come from your hand, Lord,
    and into our clumsy grasp

    you entrust the precious realities

    of creation, life, justice and peace...

We remember this day
    how fragile are your gifts
    and how vulnerable are we
    in each other’s hands...

We remember those who died
    and those who mourn their loss...

We remember those whose courage
    gave us new standards for bravery...

We remember those who gave their lives
    in their selfless efforts to save others...

We remember that day, that sunny morning
    when the borders of our nation
        were broken through 

    and the depths of our hearts

        were pierced... 

 

And we remember all we've learned

    and how little we've learned 

and how much we've yet to learn

    since that morning, 24 years ago today...

   
We remember, Lord, and we pray
    for the healing and peace only you can give,

the healing and peace

    you call us to share...

 
Bring us to a day, O God,
    when war is but a memory,

    when peace will be our victory

    when we will harvest justice    

        and all will live as one...

Amen.

 

Rev. Carl P. Daw, Jr. wrote this hymn (Hope Publishing) to commemorate the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, September 11, 2001.

 

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When Sudden Terror Tears Apart 

    by Carl Daw

 

 

When sudden terror tears apart
the world we thought was ours,
we find how fragile strength can be,
how limited our powers.

As tower and fortress fall, we watch
with disbelieving stare
and numbly hear the anguished cries 
that pierce the ash-filled air.

Yet most of all we are aware
of emptiness and void:
of lives cut short, of structures razed,
of confidence destroyed.

From this abyss of doubt and fear
we grope for words to pray,
and hear our stammering tongues embrace
a timeless Kyrie.

Have mercy, Lord, give strength and peace,
and make our courage great;
restrain our urge to seek revenge,
to turn our hurt to hate.

Help us to know your steadfast love, 
your presence near as breath;
rekindle in our hearts the hope
of life that conquers death.

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