Make Us Agents of Love

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:21

This weekend, our country will remember the 20th anniversary of the attacks on New York City, Arlington County, VA; and Shankstown, PA. Just under 3,000 people died as a result of the attacks and over 6,000 were wounded. Thousands more have died due to illnesses linked to exposure to toxins at the World Trade Center attack. Over 7,000 United States troops have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan resulting from these attacks, and over 30,000 service people are estimated to have completed suicide following their service overseas.  

In spite of the numbers quantifying the loss of life, the weight of this date remains incalculable. Many Americans could tell you their life forever changed that day. For most people born before 1990, this date remains seared in their memory. Generations before remember where they were when they learned John F Kennedy had been shot or Pearl Harbor had been attacked; a generation of Americans could now tell you when they first saw that horrifying footage of the World Trade Center collapsing.  

I was in college. I was getting ready for work in the morning and listening to the radio. The deejays interrupted the song being played to tell us to turn on our televisions – it didn’t matter the channel, they said, because it was on every channel. They were right. All day, every television on campus was trained to the news. Our professors turned us away from class, insisting there was nothing they could teach us today and that history was being made, just not the history any of us wanted to experience. 

Twenty years later, we’re still watching in horror as we live through history we never wanted to experience. America has now suffered at least 637,000 deaths from covid as I write these words. We’ve all seen the shocking and desperate scenes of people trying to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban regains control of the country. Between hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and floods, it’s like the news just doesn’t stop. It is so difficult to grieve a tragedy from twenty years ago when we’re barely able to catch our breath. 

In the face of all this grief, whether new or old, we continue to hold to the hope of our faith. Our hope is not that life will be perfect or easy, but that God has given us what we need to live faithfully. Even in tragedy – especially in tragedy – believers are able to love, serve, care, and give for the good of the whole community. As Romans encourages us, we overcome evil with good. This week, in the midst of so much pain and suffering, I challenge you to find one way you can tangibly share God’s goodness for a hurting world.

Let us pray:

God, you knew the pain of your own Son’s suffering and death. Hold us as we grieve. Sustain us as we suffer. Bring hope for abundant life to any who have lost too much. Make us agents of your love and power, now and always. Amen.