Dear CTK Family,
20 years ago, I was serving as the pastor of The Village Church in the West Village of lower Manhattan. On September 11, I was sitting in our apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn when I got a phone call from one of our members who worked on Wall Street. She said, "turn on the TV, a plane has crashed into one of the World Trade towers." She hung up. My initial response was that some small plane had crashed into one of the towers. Like many of you when I saw what the first plane had done, I was horrified and mesmerized. Later after the second plane hit, I walked to Flatbush Avenue and looked west to lower Manhattan. It was apocalyptic. The sky was filled with smoke, and particles like snow were falling from the remains of the buildings. It was eerily quiet. No sounds. Everything had stopped. People walking home from the destruction were zombie-like. Some were covered in ghostlike dust. Some were softly sobbing. As I was standing there people were moving rapidly in the other direction to ground zero. They were desperate to find a family member. People would come up to me with a picture of a daughter or son or mother or father, and say " have you seen them?" Their fear and grief were palpable.
Many of you prayed for NYC. I am a living answer to your prayers. I was eventually able to see beauty for ashes. I saw Jesus on display as our great King and the Kingdom of God revealed in the signs and wonders of the Savior's mighty love through His people. What was meant for evil has and is being redeemed for good. The Light was and is shining in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. There are so many great stories of how Jesus rescued, redeemed, healed and brought joy in the midst of so much trauma.
Let us remember 9/11. Let us overcome evil before us with the goodness of our God revealed to us through Jesus Christ, Romans 12:21.
Pray for Valerie and me as we travel on Friday to NC to participate in a memorial service for our friend Lauren Kossler. Pray for me as I speak on Saturday about the comfort of our God. On Sunday, we will be helping our daughter, Anna with childcare in Raleigh and will return on Wednesday.
Shalom, Clyde