ATTACK on AMERICA

The terror and tragedy that descended upon our country on September 11, 2001 will always be remembered. Many of us sat by televisions, drove with our radios on, poured over newspaper articles, in stunned disbelief and horror. As brothers and sisters in Christ, some have struggled at the appropriate response to this act of terror. As Americans we support and pray for our leaders and we willingly acknowledge our need to be a responsible part of this campaign to stop terrorism. May I make a few suggestions for South Suburban Christian Church as we prayerfully consider what to do in the coming months.

FIRST: STAY ROOTED IN THE WORD
There can be such a flood of words from the media that we might tend to believe that they define reality. The language of violence and terror is often repeated without any thought to what that language does to our souls and spirits. Keep the Word of God close by, read it daily. Focus on the Psalms, or John 14, or Philippians. Realize that it is the revealed Word of God that truly defines reality; not Dan Rather.

SECOND: MONITOR YOUR EMOTIONS
Be objective and prayerful in this. Pray daily. Our immediate reaction when struck is to strike back. That first week more than one person came to me and wondered why we didn't simply destroy all of this or that country; seizing oil fields and killing any who got in our way. It does not bring God glory to become indiscriminate in our killing. Turn to Jesus in prayer; ask Him to take the anger that blinds and the rage that wants to simply destroy. Yes, like those who battled in WWII, we must react, but wisely and justly. The great Christian theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a conscious decision to join the plot to assassinate Hitler, knowing that in the eyes of some, it was wrong to kill. He proclaimed, however, that one could not witness a driver running people down in the streets of a city without trying to stop the driver, even if it meant killing him. However, Bonhoeffer prayed long and hard before making this decision to kill. So must we.

THIRD: EMBRACE GOD'S FAMILY
Community and relationships within our church are now more important than ever. The Sunday after the tragedy brought the largest number of people to worship than we have had since the Easter and Christmas services. People flocked to churches for direction, prayer, support and community. They did not go to the Elks Lodge or the Country Club for direction. Now, more than ever, let us commit ourselves to being a part of SSCC, to support the vital ministries that are here, to volunteer to teach our children the Gospel, to support financially the work of the church, to pray for one another and our staff. The tragedy has reminded us that church is not a social club, it is the Body of Christ! Let's embrace that as well. Let us pray for those who lost loved ones, let us pray for one another, let us pray for our country, let us pray for Peace on Earth. Let us pray…

Love,
Kelby