SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
A Day That Will Live On in Infamy — A Nation Remembers
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” — Psalm 46:1
There are days that pass quietly into history.
There are other days when history seems to stop.
September 11, 2001, was such a day.
Twenty-five years ago, Americans began an ordinary Tuesday morning. People awakened. Parents prepared children for school. Workers headed to offices. Travelers boarded airplanes. Firefighters and police officers reported for duty. Families said goodbye, expecting to see one another again that evening.
Then, at 8:46 a.m., everything changed.
American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower.
At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.
At 10:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew courageously fought back against the hijackers.
By the time that terrible morning was over, 2,977 innocent victims had been killed, not including the 19 terrorists.
Thousands more were injured.
Countless families were changed forever.
And an entire generation would remember exactly where they were when they heard:
America had been attacked.
TODAY, WE REMEMBER
On this 25th anniversary of September 11, Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International pauses to remember.
We remember those who went to work that morning and never came home.
We remember the passengers and crews aboard the four aircraft.
We remember those working inside the World Trade Center.
We remember those at the Pentagon.
We remember the passengers and crew of Flight 93, whose courage prevented the terrorists from reaching their intended target.
We remember the firefighters.
The police officers.
The paramedics.
The emergency medical personnel.
The Port Authority officers.
The dispatchers.
The military personnel.
The chaplains.
The doctors and nurses.
The construction workers.
The volunteers.
And the ordinary citizens who, when confronted by extraordinary evil, chose to help someone else.
TO THE 2,977 LIVES TAKEN
You were more than a number.
You were husbands and wives.
Mothers and fathers.
Sons and daughters.
Brothers and sisters.
Grandparents.
Friends.
Coworkers.
Neighbors.
You had birthdays.
You had plans.
You had families waiting for you.
You had unfinished conversations.
Appointments on calendars.
Dreams for tomorrow.
Somebody expected you home.
That is why September 11 cannot be reduced to statistics, photographs, documentaries, memorials, or history books.
Every number had a name.
Every name had a story.
Every story touched another life.
Today, we remember you.
TO THE FIRST RESPONDERS
There are images from September 11 that America should never forget.
As thousands of people desperately tried to escape the burning towers, firefighters, police officers, and emergency personnel were moving in the opposite direction.
They were going inside.
They climbed stairways carrying equipment while frightened people descended around them.
They knew the danger.
They saw the fire.
They heard the explosions.
They witnessed the devastation.
Yet they continued upward.
Jesus said:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
Many demonstrated something extraordinarily close to those words that morning.
Some gave their lives attempting to save people they had never met.
Today, we honor them.
TO THE PASSENGERS AND CREW OF FLIGHT 93
There was another battlefield that morning.
It was thousands of feet above the earth.
After learning that other hijacked aircraft had been used as weapons, passengers aboard United Flight 93 understood what was happening.
They faced an unimaginable decision.
And they acted.
Their resistance prevented the hijackers from reaching their intended destination.
The aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Everyone aboard was killed.
But countless others may have lived because those passengers and crew refused to surrender without a fight.
Courage does not always mean that fear is absent.
Sometimes courage means doing what must be done while fear is very much present.
We remember them.
TO THE FAMILIES WHO NEVER STOPPED MISSING SOMEONE
For most of us, September 11 comes once each year.
For thousands of families, September 11 never completely ended.
There remains an empty chair.
A photograph.
A wedding anniversary that arrives without a spouse.
A birthday that reminds someone how old a loved one would have been.
Children grew up without parents.
Parents buried children.
Spouses became widows and widowers.
Families learned how to continue living while carrying a wound that never entirely disappeared.
Today, we especially remember you.
May God surround you with His comfort.
May He strengthen you when memories become heavy.
May He grant you peace when words are insufficient.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” — Matthew 5:4
WE ALSO REMEMBER THOSE WHO BECAME SICK YEARS LATER
The casualty count did not simply stop when the smoke cleared.
Firefighters, police officers, emergency workers, cleanup crews, construction workers, volunteers, survivors, and others were exposed to hazardous conditions at Ground Zero and surrounding areas.
For many, September 11 followed them home.
Respiratory illnesses developed.
Cancers appeared.
Bodies carried consequences years after the attacks.
Some who survived September 11 would later lose their lives to illnesses associated with their service and exposure.
Their sacrifice must not be forgotten simply because it came later.
We remember them too.
TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY
September 11 also changed the lives of an entire generation of American service members.
Some were already wearing the uniform.
Others would enlist because of what happened that morning.
Deployments followed.
Afghanistan.
Iraq.
The Middle East.
Repeated separations from families.
Combat.
Wounds.
Loss.
Sacrifice.
And for some, the final measure of devotion.
As a ministry, we honor the men and women who served and the families who waited at home.
We remember those who returned.
We remember those who returned wounded.
And we solemnly remember those who did not return.
AMERICA CAME TOGETHER
Something else happened after September 11.
For a brief moment, many of the labels that divided us seemed less important.
Strangers helped strangers.
People donated blood.
Churches opened their doors.
Prayer meetings filled.
Flags appeared everywhere.
People embraced police officers and firefighters.
Americans stood together.
There was grief.
There was anger.
There was fear.
But there was also remarkable unity.
Many people who had not thought about God for years suddenly prayed.
Churches filled.
People asked questions about eternity.
America was reminded of something we too easily forget:
Life is fragile.
Tomorrow is not promised.
And there are moments when human strength simply is not enough.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER—WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
A quarter-century has passed.
Children born after September 11 are now adults.
For them, 9/11 is history.
For those who lived through it, however, it remains memory.
That creates a responsibility.
We must tell the story.
Not to cultivate hatred.
Not to teach another generation to despise people because of nationality, ethnicity, or religion.
But to teach them the cost of terrorism.
The value of freedom.
The meaning of courage.
The price of service.
The importance of vigilance.
The preciousness of human life.
And the danger of assuming tomorrow is guaranteed.
AMERICA, DO NOT FORGET GOD
September 11 taught us many things.
But perhaps one lesson deserves renewed attention.
When everything we trusted suddenly seemed uncertain, millions looked upward.
We prayed.
We asked God for protection.
We asked God for comfort.
We asked God for strength.
We asked God to bless America.
Twenty-five years later, perhaps the question is not merely whether God will bless America.
Perhaps we should also ask:
Will America remember God?
Scripture declares:
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD...” — Psalm 33:12
Our greatest security has never been found merely in military strength, economic power, political influence, intelligence agencies, technology, or national wealth.
There are circumstances beyond human control.
There are wounds human hands cannot heal.
There are questions human wisdom cannot answer.
We still need God.
TODAY, LET US PRAY
Heavenly Father,
Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, we pause and remember.
We remember the innocent lives taken.
We remember the families left behind.
We remember the firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel, military members, medical workers, chaplains, volunteers, and ordinary citizens who demonstrated extraordinary courage.
We remember those who became sick because they ran toward devastation when others were running away.
We remember those who served our nation in the years that followed.
Lord, comfort every family that still carries an empty place because of September 11.
Strengthen every survivor.
Comfort every veteran.
Bless every first responder.
Watch over those who continue standing between danger and the innocent.
And Father, have mercy upon our nation.
Forgive us where we have wandered from You.
Heal our divisions.
Turn our hearts away from hatred.
Teach us again to love our neighbors.
Give wisdom to our leaders.
Protect our communities.
And help us remember that our ultimate hope is not found in governments, armies, economies, or institutions.
Our hope is in You.
In Jesus Christ's name,
Amen.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET
September 11, 2001.
8:46 a.m.
9:03 a.m.
9:37 a.m.
10:03 a.m.
Four moments.
One terrible morning.
Thousands of lives.
Millions of memories.
A nation forever changed.
Today, twenty-five years later, we bow our heads.
We honor the fallen.
We embrace the families.
We salute the first responders.
We remember our military.
We thank those who served.
We pray for our nation.
And above all, we look to Almighty God.
To those whose lives were taken:
We remember you.
To those who ran toward danger:
We honor you.
To those who still carry the scars:
We have not forgotten you.
To the families who still grieve:
We pray for you.
And to America:
May we never forget September 11, 2001.
May we never forget the price that was paid.
May we never forget how precious life is.
And may we never forget how desperately we need God.
🇺🇸 NEVER FORGET — SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 🇺🇸
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International
Your Feet to the Nations
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