09/11/2026
On this day September 11 a thought from pastor Joon
Dear Church family and friends,
Today, as our nation marks the 25th anniversary of September 11th, I still remember the anger, fear, and the heartbreaking loss of innocent lives. I remember as well the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of service members, citizens, and countless others who stepped forward to face and overcome that terrible tragedy.
That evening, I joined a prayer vigil and read the Prayer for Peace attributed to Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…” In that moment, I promised to keep the doors of the church open for anyone seeking peace and love.
Now, twenty‑five years later, a quiet question rises in my heart: Have we truly helped shape a world that is more peaceful, more rooted in love and hope? Was it enough simply to remove Bin Laden and those we called our enemies?
I still see the lingering wounds left by an “eye for an eye” response. And I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King Jr.: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
Many still carry the trauma of that day. Even within our own church family, there are beloved members who continue to live with its pain.
Dear church family and friends, I want to share this hope with you once again: May peace, love, and hope prevail within us, within our nation, and throughout the world. This must be our prayer.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I 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.
