Prayers
in a Time of Crisis After the attacks on The World Trade
Center and The Pentagon
From Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston |
Please
stand as the Prayer Vigil begins
Leader The love of God, the peace of
Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit be with you.
People And also with you.
Leader Out of the depths, we cry to
you, O Lord.
People Save us and help us,
O God.
Leader Be not far from us O God, for
we are in the midst of trouble.
People All our bones are out
of joint,
Leader And our hearts are like burning
wax within our breasts.
People Save us and help us,
O God.
Leader Let us pray.
Silence
Holy, holy, holy Lord, source of life and creator of all: we
come before you sick with the horror that has befallen us, numb
with shock at the extent of our losses, and heartbroken for
our world torn apart by conflict and strife. Come among us with
the grace of your healing power that we may commend to you all
who have died, entrust to you all who are suffering and dying,
and confide to your protection and care all who are working
to save the lives of those still in peril.
Silence
Leader Rest eternal grant to those
who have died, O Lord.
People And let light perpetual
shine upon them.
Leader May their souls, and the souls
of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
People Amen.
Please
sit
A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans
8:35-39
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things
to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Leader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Please
stand or kneel
Leader The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Leader Let us pray.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom
come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Father in heaven hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our
daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin
against us Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from
evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now
and for ever. Amen.
In the silence that follows the People are invited to pray,
offering their particular concerns to God - either silently
or aloud.
The Leader continues with the following prayer
God of grace, call all the nations of the earth to cease from
strife, that all may join to fight not one another, but their
common foes of want and ignorance, disease and suffering. Lead
all people out of the way of death and into the way of life;
away from destruction and to the building of a new world of
justice and peace, liberty and joy. Great Redeemer of all, hear
our prayer, and end the dark night of cruelty and fear, and
bring in the dawn of mercy and reconciliation, for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen.
All pray together the prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred,
let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there
is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there
is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there
is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled
as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved
as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to
eternal life. Amen.
Please
stand
Leader God is our refuge and strength,
People A very present
help in trouble.
Leader Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth be moved,
People And though the
mountains be toppled into the depth of the sea.
Leader Though the waters rage and foam,
People And though the mountains
tremble at its tumult.
Leader The Lord of hosts is with us;
People The God of Jacob is our
stronghold.
Leader May God almighty grant
to the living, grace; to the departed, rest; and to our broken
world, peace: And the blessing of the Holy and Undivided Trinity,
one God, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
Leader Let us go forth into the world
trusting the power of God's grace and love.
People Thanks be to God.
During these days of shock and grief the Baptistery is set
aside as a place of continuing prayer.
A Book of Prayers for people to sign and add their prayers has
been placed in the Baptistery.
Please join us on Saturday, September 15th at 11:00 a.m. in
a major service with choir as we pray for our City, our Nation
and the World.
A
prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord,
make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and
it is in dying
that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Loving
Lord,
we pray for those who have been killed,
for those who suffer still
and for all whose lives have been ravaged.
We hold up to you
all who are bewildered and afraid,
all those who are dying
all who are bereaved,
and all whose faith has been tested.
Speak your tender word to them
and protect them by your loving care,
that in the midst of things we cannot understand,
we and they may believe in your love,
know your faithfulness,
and trust your presence with all who suffer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, your love never ends and your faithfulness is new every
morning. Draw near to all whose lives have been menaced by these
acts of terrorism, fold into your tender embrace those who mourn
the violent deaths of those they love, and be present with those
who suffer even now. Come in the compassion of your grace and
remake us all, that love may replace hatred, concord reign instead
of conflict, and peace overcome every form of enmity; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer
in a Time of Crisis
For the City and for the Nation
September 15, 2001
Prelude:
Pavane
Gabriel
Fauré
Introitus and Kyrie from Requiem
Gabriel
Faure
Hymn: Almighty Father, strong to save Melita
Officiant The love of God,
the peace of Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit be with
you.
People And
also with you.
Greeting
Responsory
Officiant Out of the depths, we cry
to you, O Lord.
People Save us and
help us, O God.
Officiant Be not far from us, O God,
for we are in the midst of trouble.
People All our bones
are out of joint,
Officiant And our hearts are like burning
wax within our breasts.
People Save us and
help us, O God.
Prayer
Officiant The Lord be with
you.
People And
also with you.
Officiant Let us pray.
Silence
Holy, holy, holy Lord, source of life and creator of all: we
come before you sick with the horror that has befallen us, numb
with shock at the extent of our losses, and heartbroken for
our world torn apart by conflict and strife. Come among us with
the grace of your healing power that we may commend to you all
who have died, entrust to you all who are suffering and dying,
and confide to your protection and care all who are working
to save the lives of those still in peril. Amen.
Anthem: Hide me under the shadow of thy wings
John E. West
A Reading from Lamentations 3:22-26, 31-33
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
God's mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
The Lord, I say, is all that I have; therefore I shall wait
patiently for the Lord.
Those who wait for God, and all who seek the Lord,
to them the Lord is good.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
For God will not reject forever.
For the Lord does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.
Silence
Reader Hear what the Spirit
is saying to the Churches.
People Thanks be to God.
Prayer
Officiant The Lord be with you .
People And also with
you.
Officiant Let us pray.
Silence
O God our strength and stay, our times are in your hands: you
create us in love, you uphold us in the chances and changes
of our lives, you do not abandon us in our distress and you
shield us in our joy. Give us courage in our time of trial,
make us gracious and generous even as we suffer, and lift our
spirits that we may live always in the confidence of your nearness
and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Anthem: These are they that follow the Lamb
John Goss
Poem: Dirge Without Music by Edna St. Vincent Millay
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the
hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of
mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely.
Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains, - but the best is lost.
The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the
love, -
They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses.
Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not
approve.
More precious is the light in your eyes than all the roses in
the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
Anthem: There is a balm in Gilead Trad.
Arr. Dawson
A Reading from Paul's Letter to the Romans 8:19, 34-35,
37-39
The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the
children of God. It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was
raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes
for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things
to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Silence
Reader Hear what the Spirit is saying
to the Churches.
People Thanks be to God.
Prayer
Officiant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Officiant Let us pray.
Silence
Lord Jesus Christ, our constant companion and living savior,
the brightness of your love illumines the dark shadows of all
our lonely valleys. When terror threatens and fear besets us,
and we are cast adrift from all that holds us fast, let the
radiance of your steadfast love lay hold of us to draw us back
to the safety of your saving embrace, for you are our savior,
living and true, now and always. Amen.
Anthem: Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Elizabeth Poston
A Reading: from the Gospel of Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after
he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak,
and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children
of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and
utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Silence
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Meditation The Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd,
III, Rector
Hymn: Make me a channel of your peace Sebastian
Temple
Prayers
Officiant We stand in solemn silence,
calling to mind those who have died in this great tragedy, giving
tribute to those whose heroic service to others cost them their
lives, committing them all to the grace and love of God.
A muffled drum beats nine times, solemnly
Leader Let us pray saying, "Bless
us and keep us, O God."
For all whose lives are devastated by the violence of terrorism:
for those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, The
Pentagon and in the plane crash in Pennsylvania,
for the victims of terrorism in Ireland and in the Middle East,
and who live in the midst of conflict and fear, we pray to you,
O Lord:
People Bless us and keep us, O God.
Leader For all who mourn a tragic loss:
for those whose loved ones were killed in these disasters,
for all who have lost a spouse or relative, co-worker or friend
to violence of any kind,
for the grace to build a world of violence and hatred, we pray
to you, O Lord:
People Bless us and keep us, O God.
Leader For all those who serve the
welfare of people everywhere:
For the leaders of the nations and for all in authority,
for rescue-workers and firefighters,
for peace-makers and peace-keepers,
for all who risk their lives to serve the needs of others, we
pray to you, O Lord:
People Bless us and keep us,
O God.
Leader For our children who grow
up with violence all around them:
on the streets, and in their classrooms,
for wisdom in teaching them, gentleness in modeling life for
them,
and above all things, respect and love for them, we pray to
you, O Lord:
People Bless us and keep us, O God.
Leader For our world torn apart by
conflict and strife,
arrogance and hatred,
disparity in power and resources,
yet bound together in the common ideals of freedom and justice,
dignity and opportunity for all;
that we learn the lessons of respect and reconciliation and
turn our hearts against vengeance,
we pray to you, O Lord:
People Bless us and keep us, O God.
Leader For our nation and for our country:
for this good and bounteous land that you have given us,
for the noble heritage of liberty, freedom and justice which
is ours,
for the grace to share generously what has been entrusted to
us
and for the wisdom and will to conserve it for those who come
after us, we pray to you, O Lord:
People Bless us and keep us, O God.
Officiant God of grace, call all the
nations of the earth to cease from strife, that all may join
to fight not one another, but their common foes of want and
ignorance, disease and suffering. Lead all people out of the
way of death and into the way of life; away from destruction
and to the building of a new world of justice and peace, liberty
and joy. Great Redeemer of all, hear our prayer, and end the
dark night of cruelty and fear, and bring in the dawn of mercy
and reconciliation, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
Anthem: Pie Jesus from Requiem
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Commendation
Leader Sustain the living, O Lord,
and receive into eternal life all who have died;
People For you are our hope and
strength.
Leader We commend to you, O God most
holy, all those who died in the disasters that struck our land
and people on Tuesday;
People Let light perpetual shine
upon them.
Leader Give them rest, O Christ, with
all your saints,
People Where sorrow and pain are no
more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.
Leader We commend to you, O God
most holy, our land and people: George our President, Jane our
Governor, Thomas our Mayor, and all who serve the common good;
People Guide us in the ways of
justice and peace.
Leader We commend ourselves to you,
O God most holy; Guide and protect us, console and restore us,
O Lord. Leader For only in you
can we live in safety.
Hymn: O beautiful for spacious skies Materna
Blessing
Officiant May God almighty grant to
the living, grace; to the departed, rest; and to our broken
world, peace: And the blessing of the Holy and Undivided Trinity,
one God, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
Hymn: God of grace and God of glory
Cwm Rhondda
Dismissal
Officiant Let us go forth into the
world trusting the power of God's grace and love.
People Thanks be
to God.
Postlude
Little Fugue in G minor BWV 578
Johan Sebastian Bach
Liturgical
Resources used at the Cathedral of St. James on September 11,
2001
Collect
of the Day
O God, we call out to you in our fear, our rage and our confusion
as cities burn and the innocent suffer and die. Hold us fast
more and more in your love. Increase in us the mind and spirit
of Christ, so that through us as your disciples, evil can be
confronted by good, violence met with care, hatred overwhelmed
with love; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
The First Reading: Jeremiah 31:15-17
The Psalm: Psalm 23
The Holy Gospel: John 11:21-27
Prayers of the People
Deacon Surely Christ has borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows. Therefore we turn to God in prayer during this
time of national crisis, saying, O Christ hear us.
God of the nations and all peoples, we cry to you for consolation.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon God of all power, we come to you in fear.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon Unshakable God, as our cities tremble with destruction,
we call out to you in grief and anxiety.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon All seeing God, keep watch over the wounded and
those who minister to them.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon Creative God, send your Holy Spirit to soothe
the suffering and comfort the afflicted.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon Ever-Present God, help us to feel your nearness
in the midst of this ominous day.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon Welcoming God, bless the dying and receive them
into the arms of your mercy.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon God of blessing, support our national leaders
and all who hold authority in the nations of the world.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon God of forgiveness, keep us from being captured
by rage and remind us to pray for those who hurt us.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Deacon Finally, O God of truth, work through our struggle
and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth and to unite
us in harmony around your heavenly throne.
Assembly O Christ hear us.
Bishop O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded
us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth;
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Episcopal
Liturgical Resources in Times of Crisis
HYMNAL
529 In
Christ there is no East or West
608 Eternal
Father, strong to save ("The Navy Hymn)
Almighty
God, Thou knowest our pain
Our
buildings crushed, our people slain
Now
help our nation to stand strong
In
the face of evil and of wrong
And
guide our nation evermore
In
times of peace, and times of war
(additional
verse the the Rev. Canon Francis C. Zanger, Chaplain, US Navy)
718 God
of our fathers
719 O
beautiful for spacious skies
(Consider also
Lift Every Voice and Sing; Wonder, Love and Praise; Come Celebrate!,
etc.)
SCRIPTURE
See recommended
Burial scripture. Musical settings also appropriate (e.g.,
Canticle 9 [Isaiah 12:2-6] p. 86, Surely it is God
who saves me, esp. Jack Noble White's musical setting)
Suggested
Psalms
23: The Lord is my shepherd (esp. KJV p.
5476)
27: The Lord is my light and my slavation,
whom then I shall fear
51: Have mercy on me, O God...
116: The cords of death entangle me
121: I lift my eyes unto the hills
Check Different translations! An example:
NRSV: As [Jesus] came near and saw the city, he wept
over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized
on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are
hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you,
when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround
you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to
the ground, you and your children within you, and they will
not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did
not recognize the time of your visitation from God."
Luke 19:41-44
NASB: When [Jesus] approached Jerusalem, he saw
the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known
in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But
now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will
come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade
aginst you and surround you and hem you in on every side,
and they will level you to the ground and your children
within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another,
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."
Symbols of loss
Ideas to consider:
- A
place for pictures of loved ones
- A
place to bring other symbols from loved one who have died
- Use
of military hats, firefighter's helmets, turnoutcoats, etc.
- Unlit
candle with black ribbon to be lighted at the Eucharist
- Add
a pinch of Ground Zero dust to your Ash Wendesday ashes
Model
Memorial Service (Rite II, with an option for healing prayer
and anointing)
- Prelude
- Processional
Hymn
- Opening
acclamation (suggest penitential, p. 355 BCP)
- Collect
for purity
- Options
(Trisagion (x3), or Kyrie, or Burial anthem #2 (p. 492 BCP)
- Collect
for the burial of an adult (p. 493 BCP), modified (e.g.,
"Grant that all who have died in the recent tragedy,
all sho have lost loved ones, and all who died trying to
save them...")
- Scriptures
(see recommendations above)
- Sermon
- Creed
- Prayers
of the People (Brother Tobias' Prayer of the People in
Times of National Crisis; Litany for the nation (p.
838 BCP); Prayer for heroic service (p. 838 BCP);
Solemn collects from Good Friday Litany (277); use prayers
in other books (e.g. BOS, New Zealand Prayer Book)
- Confession
& Absolution
- Optional
healing prayer and anointing (Anthem for healing (p. 455
BCP); Anointing for healing (p. 456 BCP)
- Peace
- Offertory
(recommend Matthew 5:23-24, p. 376 BCP)
- Eucharistic
Prayer (consider B)
- Post
Communion Prayer (suggest Burial II prayer p. 498 BCP)
(We
encourage you to adapt all of the above according to local
need)
(
ENS) A prolific Episcopalian hymnwriter has written a new hymn
to commemorate the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center
towers and the Pentagon September 11. The hymn debuted at the
noon eucharist at the Episcopal Church Center on September 18.
The hymn, entitled When sudden terror tears apart, was written
in the days after the disasters by the Rev. Carl P. Daw, Jr.,
currently executive director of the Hymn Society in the United
States and Canada. The text is in Common Meter (C.M.). Suggested
tunes are Bangor (The Hymnal, p.164) and Detroit (The Hymnal,
p. 674).
Contact Church Publishing Incorporated at 445 Fifth Avenue New
York, New York 10016, General Number (800) 242-1918, Fax (212)
779-3392 for information about using the hymn. Reprints must
include copyright information and a notation identifying the
source of the music.
By Jan Nunley (The
Rev. Jan Nunley is deputy deirector of the Episcopal New Service)
WHEN
SUDDEN TERROR TEARS APART
C.M. (suggested tunes: BANGOR, DETROIT)
When sudden terror tears apart
the world we thought was ours,
we find how fragile strength can be,
how limited our powers.
As tower and fortress fall, we watch
with disbelieving stare
and numbly hear the anguished cries
that pierce the ash-filled air.
Yet most of all we are aware
of emptiness and void:
of lives cut short, of structures razed,
of confidence destroyed.
From this abyss of doubt and fear
we grope for words to pray,
and hear our stammering tongues embrace
a timeless Kyrie.
Have mercy, Lord, give strength and peace,
and make our courage great;
restrain our urge to seek revenge,
to turn our hurt to hate.
Help us to know your steadfast love,
your presence near as breath;
rekindle in our hearts the hope
of life that conquers death.
Words: Carl P. Daw, Jr. (b. 1944) ©2001 Hope
Publishing Co., Carol Stream IL 60188 All rights reserved. Used
by permission. · The Rev. Jan Nunley is deputy director of the
Episcopal News Service.
Litany
after an act of terror
by the Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America
The following litany has been written for parish, ecumenical
and interfaith use.
L. Let us pray for our nation and those in need at this time
of disaster and mourning.
Silence
L. Almighty and compassionate God, our eyes could hardly watch,
nor our ears hear, nor our minds conceive nor hearts believe
the unfolding of the tragic events of September 11. Never
have we seen such horrific terror and slaughter of the innocent.
Never have we experienced our shores, our airports, our commerce,
our communications and our government in such a quick and
total state of lock down, alert and defense. We are attacked
and besieged. Fear and mourning have gripped our souls. Tears
and anger flow with abandon. Life and liberty have been severely
challenged. O God, in such a moment of shock, we hardly know
what to pray. And yet we know, in you alone will we find hope,
comfort and strength.
C. Great God of all, have mercy and heal us.
L. For the untold thousands of injured and bereaved in our
nation,
C. Great God of all, have mercy and heal us.
L. For those who do not know the fate of their loved ones,
C. Great God of all, have mercy and heal us.
L. Be among us in our fears and ours tears. Give comfort and
support to our hearts and our souls.
C. Great God of all, have mercy and heal us.
L. Refresh and strengthen those who aid and those who lead,
even as we give thanks for so many acts of generosity, kindness
and heroism.
C. Great God of all, have mercy and heal us.
L. Unite this nation in one resolve and protect the foundations
of our liberty.
C. Great God of all, have mercy and heal us.
L. God of love, God of truth, God of life, God of hope, you
know our needs are great at this time. You know them better
than we can even state them now. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
In your wisdom, grant us those things that will lead us forward
to wholeness, love and peace again. In your grace, bless us
in this time with your holy and life-giving presence. For
blessed are you, O God, and blessed is all that you do.
C. Amen
Received
in our Office, and highly recommended:
For Those We Love But See No Longer: Daily Offices for
Times of Grief
By the Rev. Lisa Belcher Hamilton (Paraclete Press, 2001)
This portable volume, compiled from the Book of Common
Prayer and other sources, offers a weeklong cycle of Morning,
Noonday and Evening Prayer and Compline to those who are
grieving the death of a loved one. Well designed and well
reasoned, it may be used by individuals or groups. It
is an excellent resource at this time of crisis and beyond.
Andrew Gary, Critical Incident Secretary |
A
Sermon for Proper 20C
And the master commended the dishonest manager... (Luke 16:8)
Have you ever been puzzled by the story in today's gospel?
A rich man's property manager who is about to be fired does
some shady bookkeeping. He reduces what his boss's debtors
owe so that they will take him in when he gets kicked out
on to the street. So far, it makes sense. The puzzle comes
at the end of the story: "And the master commended the dishonest
manager." Why in the world would the master commend the manager
for acting dishonestly? The puzzle just gets worse when we
look at the text more carefully. The Greek work translated
"master" is the same word that means "Lord." It is quite possible
that Luke meant us to hear this: "And the Lord"-meaning Jesus-"commended
the dishonest manager." If it is a puzzle why the master commends
the manager's dishonesty, its even harder to imagine why Jesus
might. What's going on here?
The answer offered by most NT scholars is that the manager
is praised for his resourcefulness in dealing with the crisis
that has come upon him- a crisis like the sudden coming of
God's Kingdom. By telling this story, Jesus urges his hearers
to act as the manager did: In a crisis, you have to seize
the moment and do what needs to be done with courage and decisiveness.
The crisis that came upon us 12 days ago was the opposite
of the coming of God's Kingdom. It was an attack of evil,
not the arrival of God's goodness. But in that crisis, we
have seen many who acted with the kind of courageous decisiveness
that Jesus praises: the passengers on Flight 93 who charged
the hijackers so that more innocents would not die on the
ground; the firefighters, police and EMTS who rushed into
the burning World Trade Center to save lives; the Pentagon
workers who got others out before the building collapsed.
These courageous, decisive deeds are incomparably beyond what
the dishonest manager did to save his own skin. They deserve
praise of commendation beyond what any words-even those inspired
by the Gospel-can give.
It is fortunate then, at least for this preacher, that today's
Gospel story offers something in addition to more inevitably
inadequate praise for these national heroes. There is another
quality to the manager's action which the lord and master
commended: his "shrewdness." The manager was not only courageous
and decisive, he was shrewd, imaginative · catching both master
and debtors off guard by his unexpected action in the crisis.
It is this imaginative creativity that gets the master's praise.
The manager's shrewdness reminds me of some other puzzling
and misunderstood words of Jesus that have been brought to
mind by the question we now wrestle with-how America and its
allies should respond to the terrorists attacks of September
11th? Though they are seldom heard this way, the sayings I
have in mind teach that an imaginative shrewdness like the
manager's is vital when we must respond to evil. The words
of Jesus I mean are these:
"If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other
also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give
your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile,
go also the second mile."
Now, the traditional take on these words is that Jesus teaches
us to be passive in the face of evil, to be pious doormats
who suffer in silence for the good for our souls. Not surprisingly,
we usually dismiss these words as possibly well-meaning, but
highly impractical. In times like the present, we think them
downright dangerous, since they seem to say we should let
evil do its destructive work unchecked by any countermeasures
for good. And if, in fact, that is what Jesus meant by these
words, such objections would be more than justified.
But-you knew that was coming, didn't you? -- some careful
work on these texts by NT scholar Walter Wink has convinced
me and many other Christians that our usual take on these
sayings is incorrect. These sayings do not teach passivity
in the face of evil; to the contrary, they teach us to respond
actively to evil-with courageous, imaginative deeds of non-violence.
Jesus teaches that such deeds have the power to stop evil
in its tracks when victims reclaim their dignity and power,
and refuse to play by evil's rules. Let me explain.
In the culture of Jesus' time honor was very highly prized.
A slap on the right cheek was considered a deadly insult,
the way a slap on the face once led men to duel, or how among
some teens today being "dissed" can lead to school shootings.
But what if someone unjustly dishonored by a slap on the cheek
should turn the other cheek, saying in effect, "Go on-hit
me again! So what? Your slaps have no power to take away my
dignity and honor." Suddenly the tables have been turned.
The person dispensing insulting slaps is revealed as the one
acting dishonorably. Evil is revealed and disarmed by this
creative response.
Jesus' words about the coat and cloak tell the poor how to
act shrewdly when being sued for debt by the powerful. In
open court, Jesus says, give the rich person not only your
coat, but your cloak, too, your last possession-and stand
naked for everyone to see. The shame of your nakedness will
reveal and condemn the evil of a person greedy enough to take
your last stitch of clothing.
And, Jesus continues, if one of those Roman soldiers occupying
your homeland compels you to carry his pack for a mile as
the law allowed, volunteer to carry it a second mile. Expose
the abuse of power for what it is; force your oppressor to
recognize you as a human being with dignity and a will of
your own, not the mere pack animal that he takes you for.
Such imaginative moves, Jesus says, disarm evil at its source.
A more recent story shows the power such actions can have.
In South Africa in the days of apartheid, a black woman walking
with her children down a narrow lane was confronted by a white
man going the other way. When she refused to step aside as
she was "supposed" to do, the man spit in her face. She looked
him in the eye and said, "Now, will please you do that for
the children, too?" The man, ashamed, stepped aside and let
them pass-and I suspect the evil of apartheid began to crumble
in his heart.
Modern history shows that creative, courageous non-violence
has enormous political power on a larger scale, too. The most
famous examples, of course, are the liberation of India by
the soul-force of Ghandi's non-violence, and Martin Luther
King's use of the direct non-violent action in our own Civil
Rights movement. The People Power Revolution of the Philippines
and the end of Communist rule in Eastern Europe that brought
the Berlin Wall down and stopped the tanks in Moscow also
used similar tactics. And if you recall the many Indians who
died at British hands or the old TV footage of freedom marchers
being attacked by dogs & clubs while they prayed, you know
that these people were as courageous in their day as the heroes
of September 11th were in ours. We should never think that
the challenging, decisive, imaginative non-violence that Jesus
teaches is a tactic for wimps or the faint of heart.
Nor should we forget how often this strategy has been worked
to overcome evil & bring freedom. When St. Paul wrote: "Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good," he
was not mouthing pious words. He was describing one of the
world's more effective strategies for engaging and winning
battles with evil.
What has all this to do with the question of how America should
respond to the terrorist attacks? Just this-that along with
all the diplomatic, legal, financial, and military plans now
being made, Jesus' style of shrewd, imaginative non-violent
strategies just might be among the most effective, not to
mention moral, ways of dealing with terrorism. It is said
that the bad news about facing such an elusive enemy is that
the usual means of waging war are of very limited use. The
good news could be that necessity will prove the mother of
invention, with creative non-violent ways of overcoming evil
being put into practice and working.
During the past week in conversations and on the Internet,
several such strategies have crossed my path. Once comes from
a retired Air Force Major, a veteran of Desert Storm and former
War Planner, who knows better than most of us, I'm sure, what
military force can and cannot do to capture terrorists in
the mountains of Afghanistan. So the major has proposed this
way to wage unconventional war on an unconventional enemy.
He points out that "Osama bin Laden and his followers have
profaned Islam" in a variety of ways, and so he urges the
US to "persuade and provide support to the Taliban and every
other Islamic authority with jurisdiction or access to bin
Laden and his network [to] arrest and try him according to
the Islamic laws he and his organization have violated." The
benefits of such an imaginative strategy are many, says the
Major: "America doesn't sink to the tactics of bin Laden;
the Taliban and Islamic authorities save face; the international
community acknowledges the integrity of Islamic Law, we demonstrate
American commitment to the rule of law, and an evil criminal
is brought to justice in the near term."
Another creative idea has appeared in several versions: that
the US should "invade" one of the devastated urban areas of
Afghanistan-not with bombers or fighters, but first with Special
Forces Units who can secure a perimeter & protect the people
who would come next: the Army Corps of Engineers, transport
planes full of building equipment, field hospitals, communications
specialists, a commissary, and an Islamic chaplain: in short,
all the people needed to sweep up the rubble and rebuild an
entire area of a city complete with communications, housing,
hospital, mosque, schools, a market place and a commissary-a
kind of Marshall Plan before the war, not after.
Such a move would have its risks and might well cost lives,
but in the face of that kind of creative "attack," how long
would the Taliban be able to sell the Afghani or other Islamic
peoples on the idea that the US has evil intentions? By using
the best of American skills and the American spirit to capture
the hearts of people in a non-violent war, the capture of
bin Laden and his networks could become much easier and less
costly than by going after them with bombs, missiles, and
ground troops from the first.
I'm not claiming that either of these ideas is the solution
to the exceedingly complex challenge of dealing with terrorist
evil. But I am claiming that the imaginative, courageous non-violent
strategies Jesus teaches can have enormous power for overcoming
evil in the struggle between freedom and fear we now face-and
that is a power to which we all we need to have our minds
open.
Though I hope that the new challenge terrorism poses will
lead us to new and creative ways of acting, I'm also afraid
that ideas like these will be quickly dismissed as impractical
by those with the power to make the decisions. Today, our
second lesson urges that "supplications, prayers, intercessions
and thanksgiving's be made for ... all who are in high positions."
Part of my prayer for our leaders and planners these days,
and I hope yours as well, is that they will have not only
the courage to act decisively, but the shrewdness to act imaginatively:
to overcome the evil of terrorism in creative, non-violent
and effective ways.
But I'm not just concerned about whether those in high positions
will be see the strategic possibilities that Jesus' teaching
offers-I'm concerned about us all. You know, its an odd thing.
We Christians say we believe that Jesus is the Incarnate Word
of God and Savior of the world -- yet we routinely dismiss
his teachings as being impractical. We act as if the One who
made and saved the world is too stupid or dreamy to have any
useful ideas about dealing with the evil that he came to save
us from. What might happen if we acted as if the incarnate,
creating God actually knew something about doing good and
disarming evil? What might happen if we lived as if Jesus
actually knew what he was talking about? Maybe in our present
crisis we would act courageously, decisively, and imaginatively.
Maybe we'd find creative ways to urge our leaders to take
Jesus' practical non-violent shrewdness with the seriousness
it deserves. And if we did, I suspect that the world would
never be the same.
The Rev. Jack Zamboni
Grace St. Paul's Church
Mercerville, NJ
September 23, 2001
Reflection
on working at Ground Zero
from Cmdr. Gail Cullisch, U.S. Coast Guard
Most
of us that were there the first week have been experiencing
anxiety dreams, depression, and other impacts of Critical Incident
Stress, but we are being proactive in acknowledging them. We've
had help from chaplains and others to the extent we desire,
and have taken the counsel of published info that has been given
to all of us on how to acknowledge and manage. Each of my people,
and I, feel better everyday and are moving through the healing
process. I have to say, though, that one of the most troubling
aspects of this is that, although we played a helping role,
we each felt so insignificant in contrast to the scope of the
relief effort and the magnitude of the tragedy. But I did the
"candle thing" with my front line group (6 of us did
"Day 2" work). We turned out the lights and one by
one I had them turn on their flashlights. The first one only
lit up a small part of the room, the second more so, and by
the time everyone had their flashlights on, the whole room was
lit up. So they could see that each little part was important
and without it -- well it's bad sermon material but it was what
we needed to do sitting in the blown out building across from
the pile and wondering what possible value our presence had....
I can now relate better to war veterans who experience something
beyond words and come back to a world that "just doesn't
get it" or even worse to imagine experiencing that and
coming back to a country that doesn't value what you did or
acknowledge the horror you bore, and disregards you or even
yells at you or tries to harm you. The Vietnam Veterans have
my greatest sympathy and strongest support. I cold not even
imagine but have had a glimpse of that world enough to know
that theirs is a truly unique pain. And I can understand even
more why, after all these years, World War II and Korean War
veterans preserve their bonds so tightly with their colleagues
from that experience. No one less could possibly get it and
they don't have to explain it to each other. Imagine coming
back to your family that, even though caring and sympathetic,
couldn't begin to even know what you experienced. I hope I'm
not overstating this, but in a few moments on the ground, I
felt that I understood at least the edges of their world.
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Church
Center Chapel banner commemorating
terrorist attack on New York
The Chapel
of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York
City has just received an offering from the Rev. Eliza Linley,
a priest in the Diocese of California. She created a banner
which now hangs in the chapel as a powerful reminder of the
profundity of the events of September 11 and their impact on
our lives and future.
When asked what inspiration was behind this creation, she responded,
"I'd been feeling so useless in the wake of the disasters, as
I know many of us have. I found myself just glued to CNN, unable
to turn it off. I wanted to give something besides money and
blood, and started to think about a memorial piece. The Church
Center chapel just seemed like the right place. I wanted the
work to be about the journey from despair to hope. But silk
painting is a lyrical medium that doesn't lend itself to images
of destruction. So I made a digital image from news photos and
had it photo silk-screened onto white silk. I then hand painted
the rest of the image with silk dyes and resist. The dyes are
then set by steaming."
The banner is titled "Requiem" and this legend accompanies
the work:
They are with us - leaves on the tree of life
their souls are colors of an endless, varies tapestry,
each color vital to the whole,
each strand infinitely valued in the eyes of God.
by Clayton Morris (ENS)
Homily for September 11, 2001
(Isaiah 26: 1-4; Psalm 121; Matthew 5: 43-48)
In the Name of the most Holy and Gracious God. Amen.
A terrible, terrrible thing happened this morning, an act
of such unspeakable cowardice and malice as to be beyond belief.
This is for our children, what Pearl Harbor was for our parents.
We are bewildered, stunned and in shock, partly because we
would never dream of doing anything like this to another human
being, and so when it is done to us, we cannot grasp it. Words
fail us. I have been struggling all day to find words, and
I feel so inadequate. I am speaking to you from my heart,
which is aching, like yours.
It feels frustrating, wanting to "do" something, and not being
able to get into NYC to help, but I want to be clear, that
prayer is practical and pragmatic, and it is vital for us
to be in prayer. That you are here, in prayer, matters.
It is important that we are here in this sacred and holy place,
knowing all too well how small we are, how vulnerable we are,
how overwhelming the world can feel. The words of our Great
Litany include a prayer that says, "From dying suddenly and
unprepared, Good Lord, deliver us." We cannot control the
"suddenly," we can only try to be prepared. As your priest
and pastor, I remind you - and I tell you this because I truly
believe it - that God is ultimately all-powerful, profoundly
compassionate, and is present with us and in us.
When terrorists strike, besides the obvious goal of doing
physical damage, and God knows that was done today, their
other, more important goal is to make us feel helpless. Remember
that we are not. They want us to feel hopeless. Remember that
we are not.
Let us remember who we are. We are God's people. Whether we
are Christians or Jews or Muslims, we were created by God,
and we are called to be holy, called to be different. We are
not terrorists, we are not those who act out of hatred, and
we must be so very careful now not to give into the impulse
to react in kind, to want an eye for an eye. It's understandable
we might feel that way, but we cannot give into the evil that
is around us.
We are called by the Gospel to do a difficult thing. We are
called today to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute
us. That's a hard one, there's not a person here who doesn't
know some one who worked in that part of the city, but we
have to try. We don't have to be perfect - the English translation
of the Gospel (Mat. 5: 43-48) is not quite accurate. The sense
of it is more that we don't have to be perfect, we are asked
to be open to being perfected. We are perfected by what happens
to us on the outside, and what we allow God to do with us
on the inside. I assure you, I promise you, the terror out
there cannot overwhelm the Holy Spirit in here. It cannot
overwhelm the power of this community, gathered together in
intentional prayer.
This is what communities do, and although it's hard in our
culture to believe that praying is actually doing, as we gather
here and pray for peace and for consolation, for comfort for
the victims and strength for the rescuers, we are doing something
profound and powerful.
I keep remembering Archbishop Desmond Tutu, that noble, wonderful
man, unable to vote in his own country because of his color.
He came to General Seminary and spoke about working to end
Apartheid. He said he knew Apartheid could not stand, because
there was a nun in California who got up every morning at
4 AM, and prayed for it to end. Now, if a nun in California
could bring down Apartheid, think what the prayers of so many
of us, focused on this, can do.
Words may be hard to come by, but there are some quiet, deeply
powerful things to do: we pray, and we must not stop. We pray
for the leaders of this country and as hard as it is, let
us pray for those misguided souls who think violence is any
way to solve anything. Let us pray for those who did this
terrible thing today. These are people whose lives have so
little meaning, they think nothing of killing themselves as
they kill others. We can work to bring meaning and hope to
them.
We are going to strive to be part of the solution, not the
problem. After communion, we're going to light candles, rather
than curse the darkness, so that the darkness does not overwhelm
us. Remember that God is with us. God was in the ovens at
Auschwitz, he was with the people in World Trade Center and
at the P |
