The Rising

Every year on this date I am brought to tears thinking about what transpired. The thing that bothered me most was that I woke up well after the first national moment of silence at 8:46 am (I have always made sure I was awake throughout college to observe), and that I was utterly clueless as to what day it was until I looked at the upper right corner of my computer which told me the date: September 11, 2009.

September 11, 2001 I was sitting in lunch as a freshman in high school. When the seniors from lunch started coming back and breaking the news to us it did not seem real. The entire cafeteria was fired up with loud talking and wondering what truly happened. wild rumors were flying around: The Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty were gone too. As I said, none of it seemed real. Then after the second (1st WTC) fell lunch had ended, yes we ate that early, off to Design, Drawing, and Production I went. As I got close to the classroom I noticed an eery silence and saw no light coming from the classroom. As I entered for the first time it hit me. I watched in numbness as I saw two beloved buildings completely collapse. I saw the horror on faces of classmates whose parents worked in the city, whose parents worked at the World Trade Center complex. I sat with a childhood friend who wondered if his father, who had gone in that day, was indeed still alive. Thank God he was.

Not all of my friends and not all of my school mates at Islip High School on Long Island, NY were so lucky. Many of them lost loved ones that day. Each and every September 11th those people and their families are in my thoughts and prayers.

I remember that the only place I wanted to be that day was in Mr. Brown's social studies class. Surely Mr. Brown would know what had happened and why, and surely his classroom was a safe place to be. As I got there for the second to last period of the day I had never seen the man so sad in my life. I'm glad I was spared having him when the news was broken to his 4th period class that our nation was under attack. We read an article, an op-ed, by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times which was written from the viewpoint of Osama bin Laden that past summer. In it Friedman wrote as bin Laden mocked Americans and said we would run from all places of the world as al-Qaeda attacked. He stopped short of saying al-Qaeda would strike on American soil.

Osama bin Laden never being caught is a drastic reminder to us that evil exists and is still very real. Many try to write off the attacks of September 11th as something less than pure evil. What al-Qaeda did that day was evil, plain and simple. But 9/11 should also serve as a reminder that evil exists in many forms and Satan prowls around looking to devour. Because of sin this world is full of hate, it is full of pain, and it is full of anger. There is anger and madness from people all over the world this day. The anger is not just from America to terrorists hiding in caves in Afghanistan, the anger is also from those in the Middle East to the United States of America. The anger and madness comes from within America as there are those who believe it was an inside job by the government. Satan is all about evil and is all about creating chaos in the world. What al-Qaeda did that late summer Tuesday morning was create chaos. Death, sadness, fright, horror, madness, and chaos all ruled that day and in many ways it seems like they rule everyday.

In 1 Corinthians 15:55 St. Paul asks two questions one right after the other: "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" Those who die in Christ are the ones with the real victory, they are the ones carrying the sting to bring to death. Jesus came to earth to die for sadness, for those frightened, for horror, for those engulfed in madness, for chaos, and finally for death. All of these things and more are the very embodiment of sin. Sin is going against the perfect will of God, and death is its punishment. Death is a separation, it is a very real and very troubling thing that humanity goes through. But because of what the ultimate man, Jesus Christ, went through it has no victory, and it carries no sting.

Jesus went to the cross knowing about death and was willing to experience it for the sake of humanity. Jesus went to the cross knowing about 9/11/01 and all days when people from all places would die. Jesus hung on the cross for our salvation, He defeated sin, death, and the devil.

During the summer of 2002, Bruce Springsteen came out with an album called The Rising. It is a wonderful album with a collection of songs telling the story of those let behind because of the 9/11 attacks. The lyrics to the title track, The Rising, parallel a biblical story/concept that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, believe it or not:

There's spirits above and behind me,

Faces gone black, eyes burnin bright,

May their precious blood bind me,

Lord, as I stand before your fiery light...

Come on up for the rising,

Come on up, lay your hands in mine

Come on up for the rising,

Come on up for the rising tonight

The rising. Not only did Jesus the Christ die for our sins, but he also rose for them. Jesus not only conquered sin, death, and the grave through dying, but through rising. The rising that Christians can look forward to and sing shouts of joy about is the rising we will receive on the last day. On that glorious day we will be reunited with those who died before us and those of us who die ourselves will be raised in body to the sounds of trumpets.

My prayer this September 11th, all September 11th's, and all days is that those who suffer loss and tragedy be comforted in the glorious hope of the resurrection. Just as death is real, resurrection is real. And more than that, unlike in this world where death seemingly has the final say, in the new world resurrection has the final and everlasting say.

Come on up for the rising!