Below is the sermon I preached last Sunday at Life in Christ:
God is for us!
It
was Thursday, September 13, 2001. The
congregation I was serving, Island Lutheran Church on Hilton Head Island, South
Carolina, had gathered for worship. Our
country had suffered an unimaginable terrorist attack on Tuesday, 9/11. The World Trade Center was a pile of
rubble. Rescuers made a futile search
for signs of life. The whole nation mourned
and we worried that our way of life had come to an end.
For
two days I received calls from our congregation. Some expressed anxiety and fear. One person told me they would be traveling
back home for Thanksgiving. Now, they
didn’t know if they could get on a plane.
Others wondered if other attack would follow what we saw on
Tuesday. And there was lots of anger. Someone should pay for the devastation what
was wrought in New York City, Washington DC, and in a field outside of Shanksville,
Pennsylvania.
I
had puzzled for a day over what Bible text my message should be based on. As I had paged through my Bible, I found
myself coming back to one particular chapter – Psalm 46 – words that I imagine
many of you have turned to in times of trouble:
God is our refuge and strength, an
ever-present help in trouble. Therefore,
we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the
heart of the sea.
There is a river whose streams make glad
the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her; she will not fall; God
will help her at break of day.
The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of
Jacob is our fortress.
The
message was clear and unmistakable. Here
was an answer for our anxiety, fear, and anger.
God is for you! God is on your side. God is your mighty fortress.
I’m
sure that most if not all of you know where you were on that fateful day. And even though it’s been two decades, some
of you will never forget the anxiety in the eyes of those searching the streets
and hospitals of New York City for loved ones.
Or
the fear etched on the faces of firemen, paramedics, police officers and others
as they searched in vain for signs of life in the dust and rubble of the Pentagon.
Or the anger
laying on the tongues of those who wanted the ones responsible for this madness
to pay for the pain Americans were feeling.
And some of you
here today share some of these very feelings.
Your worried sick and wonder, “What will happen to me if I don’t get the
vaccine? What will happen to me if I get
the vaccine?” Or maybe you are filled
with fear and your world feels like a pile of rubble because of a broken promise
and relationship. Or perhaps, anger is laying
on your tongue because a friend betrayed you, your family takes you for
granted, or your employer doesn’t recognize your good work.
It's been 20 years
since 9/11/2001. But really, isn’t it
everyday that we need to hear of the comfort and love that God has for you and
me, His children. God is for us!
God is on our side! God is our mighty fortress.
As many of you
know, Psalm 46 is the psalm that inspired Martin Luther to write that majestic
hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” In
one strong stanza after another, Luther describes in unforgettable terms that “for
us fights the valiant One,” that God “holds the field forever,” and that, in
Jesus, “our victory has been won, the Kingdom ours remaineth.”
Luther’s focus is
solely on our gracious God. God and no
one else in the world is our refuge in the face of tragedy, terror, disaster,
or death. God is our first choice, not
our last resort.
God is our
refuge. The noun “refuge” is formed from
a verb meaning, “to be safe.” As events
unfolded on that faithful Tuesday, President Bush was whisked from a Florida elementary
school, taken to Air Force One, and into the skies. Vice President Cheney was taken by the Secret
Service to a secure place.
But it is not just
the President and Vice President who alone receives such privileged treatment. When we find ourselves being threatened by
anxiety, when worrisome thoughts cause us to lose sleep and hope, we have a safe
place, a mighty fortress. God is our
refuge, our safety.
You can feel safe
because God is your refuge. He is totally
and completely on your side. This is
comforting news for us Christians because we too have an enemy – the devil. Satan seeks to destroy the freedom we have in
Christ Jesus. He will use any means necessary
to take away our joy and salvation.
We have a champion
who fights for us because Jesus is greater than the devil. He defeated Satan at the cross and the
tomb. Jesus holds power over death and
the grave. Remember what Jesus said to the
synagogue ruler when the man asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter? Don’t
be afraid – just believe.
In our battle
against the terrorist above all terrorists, we feel better because we have an
ally who fights for us, our mighty God. God is for us.
His Word clearly teaches that He is the One who will take care of us
when fear is about to harm us. God is
the one who shelters us so that the evil one cannot have his way with us.
God is also our
strength. He promises to be present when
we feel weak. His Word picks us up when
we are down, His meal of thanksgiving has the power to give us strength to
stand firm in the midst of fear, anxiety, or anger.
Yes, God is for
us. God is on our side. And God is with us.
On 9/11, I was at
a church with a group of pastors in Arlington, Virginia, just five miles from
the Pentagon. We went outside and heard
the firetrucks and the paramedics and saw the smoke as a good section of the
building burst into flames.
During the horror
and hysteria of that day, our government continually kept reminding us that although
President Bush was not in Washington, he was in charge, directing the
government and first responders. It was
their way of saying, “The President is with you in this.”
While that was
consoling and what we needed to hear on that horrible day, I find even more comfort
in know that God is with you and me. He
is ever-present. The Hebrew word
has as its root meaning, “very accessible.”
Doesn’t that
describe our Lord? The Bible teaches that we can have his ear anytime we want. He gives us His undivided attention whenever
we call on Him. God knows our
fears. He’s acquainted with our
tears. So, we flee to him for
refuge. As the Scriptures, He is not far
from us.
Isn’t it good to
know that God is your refuge, your strength?
He is your safe place. When the
terrorists of fear, anxiety and anger come racing into your hearts, flee to God. He will give you shelter, care and help. You can be sure of this because Jesus
lovingly says, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest.
This rest we first
receive by faith when, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we came to trust
Jesus for forgiveness, new life, and salvation.
He continues to give us this rest and peace as we hear the words of absolution,
as we mediate upon His Word of truth, as we come into His presence in prayer.
Did you come here
today filled with fear? Overwhelmed by anxiety? Swallowed up by anger. God says
to you, “come to me.” This we do today
and in all the days of our lives.
We do this because
God is for us! God is by our side! God is our mighty fortress!
Amen!
