Sept. 11, 2008

Hello everyone. I wanted to share the email below that I received from a colleague here at Redeemer about Sept. 11, 2001. Hope it encourages you.

Also, I took this shot while down at ground zero with my friend, Bethany. It was neat for us to see the lights come on just as it got dark.

"Where were you 7 years ago? I remember being on the 26th floor at my office on 53rd and 7th avenue gathered around the television screen along with colleagues aghast in the unfolding horror and tragedy. Everyone was paralyzed by fear and the uncertainty. I choose not to watch any commemorative events – sadness, not wanting to relive those hours, days, and months of mourning. Every generation has a time of pain and a wake up call. Why did God allow this event to take place? What good came out of it? What good came out of a friend of mine who died and left his wife and newborn daughter? What good came out of my mother’s colleague who lost his son and grandson when the towers were destroyed? I know both families have coped with these losses and have moved on.

So, why did God allow this to happen? I cannot pick my finger on it and smarter theologians have weighed in on it than me. Tim Keller spoke on that Sunday after to a packed audience at the upper west side service and I recall that he said something along the lines of exhorting the people to not leave the city in this time of tragedy and need. But to stay in this city, this city where we all came to burnish our resumes, to take in all that the city has to offer, and to find significant others….so here we are 7 years later, people have stayed, our church has grown, people seem to be pursuing more “socially-responsible” activities, and the city has endured. I love this verse and it is a good one to remember."

Jeremiah 29:7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

Written By: Calvin Chin