PASTOR’S MESSAGE:    9 1 1 1 9

The numbers above form a palindrome. Without proper punctuation, the
numbers might simply look like someone’s zip code, I suppose. With
punctuation, it looks like this: 9/11-#19.  Tomorrow will be the 19th
anniversary of 9/11. Most of us have distinct memories of that day, where we
were and how it hit us.  Here’s a brief account of some of my memories
surrounding September 11, 2001.

+  Tues., Sept. 11:  I was attending a Pastor’s Circuit meeting in Fort Lee,
New Jersey.  The police came in and told us we had to end the meeting and
return to our homes because two planes had struck each of the World Trade
Center towers.  I’d already heard the news of one plane striking the tower
but didn’t know if it was intentional or accidental.

+  I returned to my church and school where we were glued to the television
to see what was going on.  Some of our members and parents of children in
our school worked at the twin towers or in that area.  Amazingly, none were
hurt!  Several children and staff stayed at the church and school all night
because some parents were unable to pick them up.

+  All plane traffic was grounded and most ground traffic was halted and
there was an eerie silence.  Uncertainty and fear gripped many – me
included!

+  On the evening of 9/11 we held a Prayer Service at the church for those
who could gather together.

+  Very close to where we lived we could see the black billows of smoke
rising from what would be called “Ground Zero.”

+  The next evening, 9/12, I participated with the other Chaplains at Ramapo
State College in leading a campus prayer vigil for about 500 students and
faculty.

+  A week later I was invited to attend a time of spiritual reflection with
scripture, prayer, and hymns in a crowded Lutheran church in Manhattan with
hundreds of other pastors and caregivers.  I also got my first look at the
smoldering remains of the twin towers.

+  On Sat. September 22nd (I believe), I watched the gathering in Yankee
Stadium for A Prayer for America that Dr. Benke, President of the Atlantic
District participated in.  I remember thinking to myself that his
participation, which I fully supported, was going to cause a lot of
dissension in the LCMS – which it indeed did, sadly.

+  Church attendance swelled for about 3 weeks.  Then it sadly (very sadly)
gradually settled back to normal.

For some in our country, memories of this traumatic event have become
faded and fuzzy. For others, including yours truly, the memory is neither
faded nor fuzzed.  The events of 9/11 form one reason, but only one of many,
for strongly supporting first responders of every kind. Appearing to be ages
18-22, they were, and remain, the heroes of 9/11, 19 years ago.  It seems
like a lifetime ago.  For some, it was. Yet it seems like yesterday.  It
will never be forgotten!

Pastor Dennis Krueger