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Matthew 18:21-22
It's hard to believe this will be the 25th anniversary of the tragic event we know simply by its date, 9-11. On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board. Both buildings collapsed within hours, destroying nearby buildings and claiming nearly 3,000 lives. The hijackers crashed a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C to target the White House. There were no survivors from any of the flights. Many of us were glued to our television screens and saw the collapse of the World Trade Center as it happened. It's a sight many of us will never forget.
Sept. 11 is a very difficult day for many Americans, including the families of those 3,000 victims and 836 responders, firefighters and police personnel who lost their lives. The overwhelming majority of casualties in all four attacks were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries.
There were many stories of incredible courage that day. One of the most touching was the story of Jeremy Glick, a passenger on United Flight 93. Jeremy was the Sales and Marketing executive of a hot internet company. A former national collegiate judo champion in college, he was recently married and the proud father of a beautiful three-month-old daughter. He didn't want to go on Flight 93. It was his first business trip in months. Since the birth of his daughter, Emmy, he'd been reluctant to leave home. However, there was an important conference in San Francisco, and his wife Lyzbeth urged him to go, and stop worrying about her and the baby.
Jeremy planned to fly out on the previous day but got stuck in traffic on his way to Newark Airport. He rebooked for the following morning. Not long after the flight was underway, Jeremy called Lyzbeth on his cell phone to report that five hijackers had taken over the plane. She was able to tell him about the plane crash into the World Trade Center and later the Pentagon. Jeremy and several other passengers on that flight determined they had to do something.
They managed to carry out their intention because Flight 93 was the only one of the four hijacked planes that failed to hit its target. A group of men literally gave their lives to save the lives of people they didn't even know.
During the twenty minutes before the plane went down, Jeremy was able to talk to Lyz. Interviewed on "Dateline," Lyzbeth Glick shared the essence of that conversation:
"We said I love you a thousand times over and over again, and it just brought so much peace to us," says Lyzbeth . . . "He told me, 'I love Emmy' who is our daughter and to take care of her. Then he said, 'Whatever decisions you make in your life, I need you to be happy, and I will respect any decisions you make.' That's what he said and that gives me the most comfort. He sounded strong. He didn't sound panicked, very clear headed. I told him to put a picture of me and Emmy in his head to be strong."
A widow at 31, Lyz says she isn't angry and she has no regrets. "I don't feel like there are things left undone with my relationship with Jeremy," says Lyz. "We did it all, and I don't feel like I've left anything unsaid to him and I don't feel like he's left anything unsaid to me. And I don't think many people who are so young can say that." No, they can't. But it's sad that any young family in the world should be put through that ordeal.
Sept. 11 is difficult for our country and it's particularly difficult for Christians considering the answer Jesus gave to Peter in Matthew 18 when he asked "'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?'" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven." This is the ultimate lesson in all of scripture about forgiveness. And when it comes to 9-11, forgiveness is the last thing many Americans plan to do.
Forgiveness isn't easy, but it is possible if we offer our hurt to God. That's what the cross is all about. On Golgotha, God forgave the sins of the world through the suffering of His Son. The forgiveness we grant others is built on what God has done for us.
Of course, there may be circumstances where forgiveness isn't humanly possible. One theologian pointed out: "We who follow Christ are always being commanded to do things we cannot do. We are commanded to love the unloveable. We're called to serve without counting the cost. But the hardest commandment is the commandment to forgive. We are called to forgive, not because it's humanly possible, but because the ability to forgive is given to us by the God of Grace."
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is a member of Maitland Church of the Brethren. He has a Facebook page and can be contacted by email: ce1133 @verizon.net.