Burn That Thing Down! Or not...

Lotsa folks wouldn't let anyone build this in their town. "Burn that thing down!" they'd say.

Or blow it up.

Sometimes we forget how time passes, how young and recent our experience and understanding of the world is, we Americans.

For us, like 1803, like the Louisiana Purchase, that's really... like... OLD! Practically the Stone Age.

And 1776, that hall with powdered wig guys and a hot, muggy day in Philly when it was barely more than a glorified cow town on the edge of the woods.... Paleolithic, Old Stone Age. Right?

This building with the four different minarets... It didn't always have them. It's the third church by its name on the site in modern day Istanbul, formerly Byzantium, Constantinople before that.

The name? Aya Sofia in Turkish. Hagia Sophia, transliterated from Greek. It's the Church of Holy Wisdom. The first church on the site was begun by Constantine himself and his son Constantius between 325 and 360 AD. Fire destroyed it in 404 AD. A second church was consecrated in 415 AD and destroyed during riots in 532 AD. 29 days later, Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of a new church that would surpass Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. It was consecrated December 27, 537. I've stood inside under its 55-meter dome, an absolute engineering marvel not only 1500 years ago, but even today.

It has suffered from earthquakes, fires and wars, has been repaired and rebuilt numerous times.

On May 27, 1453, Sultan Mehmet II entered the city after conquering the armies of the dying Byzantine Empire. Muslim worship and prayers were conducted here from then until 1935 when it was declared a museum of the Republic of Turkey after Kemal Ataturk ordered repairs between 1926 and 1930.

So, let's see... A Christian church for 916 years with already two centuries of Christian worship under its belt on that patch of land.

Then, a Muslim house of worship for 482 years.

Then a museum for the lifespan of the average American in the age of fast food and lack of exercise.

Nearly 1473 years old. 6.3 times as old as our independence from Great Britain if we use that '76 event in Philly as our starting date.

What is America's long-term role in the world? How will the events of September 11, 2001 be regarded 100, 200, 1473 years from now?

Way too soon to tell. Meanwhile, do we know our neighbors in this world?

Have we learned to love them as ourselves?

Have a blessed day in prayer for all who mourn and work for a better world on this day.

Amen.

Roger

9/11

First things first.

I should never have made a previous post titled "Mixed Signals". To apologize is to offer a rationale for why it was justified. That I cannot do because there is none. To say I had a lot of stuff going on would be true, but not a justification and not an explanation.

So I stand completely revealed and convicted. I confess these sins of unkindness and lack of judgment. Strong words, right or wrong, can never be recalled. I am truly sorry and humbled. Forgive me Lord, and all whom I have hurt.

Today is an anniversary of greater hurt and loss than most of us can know. Let us pray for all for whom today brings tears and painful memories. 9/11.

Amen.

Roger

9/11 Special

9/11

It's an anniversary day. Six years ago I parked my motorcycle at Troutdale Airport preparing to begin a routine work day. A man from another company at the airport whom I'd never met approached from his car in the next parking lot. "Have you had the TV on this morning?" he asked. "No," I replied. "I always read the paper." "Might want to do that," he advised. "World Trade Center's been attacked. We're at war."

Inside, a couple of early arrivals had the radio on. Both towers in flames. The first one collapsed. A few minutes later, the second. What did this mean? Work started at 7:30 AM, PDT. Workers slowly went about their tasks. About 9 AM as I walked through the shop I noticed it. They all looked "dazed and confused." It only took me a few minutes to decide and I immediately cleared it with the General Manager. I went around to each employee. "At 10 o'clock break I'll have a prayer time in my office. Everyone is welcome." I didn't know if anybody would show up. Turns out the whole company did, even front office staff. Phones weren't ringing much anyway. We met for prayer and sharing of concerns for the next seven work days. It was the right thing to do.

But how to feel about all of it? Confused and conflicted seemed to be pretty standard. Over the next weeks and months "Proud To Be An American" signs and bumper stickers sprouted everywhere. The phrase never quite did it for me. If "pride goeth before a fall", should pride be what I felt? If pride wasn't it, what did I feel, what should I feel? It took six months to sort it out, but it was something deeper than pride. As a veteran and loyal citizen I felt something way deeper than pride.

Deeper Than Pride

More than mountains, oceans, rivers, the rain.

More than cities and highways, quiet plains.

More than the red, the white, the blue that is dyed

onto the banner that waves like the grain...

More than anthems played by marching bands,

or star spangled chords of memorial choirs

More than the skirl of the lone piper's drone

More than I feel when the flowers are dried--

those tears yet unshed for all who have died

Far more than we could ever ask of each other

yet what we unexpectedly do every day,

It's a feeling way deeper than pride.

America, good land of brave and the free

Conceived an ideal for the world--our Miss Liberty

bearing her torch night and day just off the Manhattan shore

Welcoming peoples and tongues, hopes, dreams and more,

families praying their children will know nevermore

the fears they have sought to finally flee.

It's more than we attain, achieve, or even claim to be,

ideal far higher than we dare strive!

It is a feeling way deeper than pride.

Freedom is won solely by laying it down, setting it free

by citizens, soldiers, teachers, parents-to-be,

Rescuers giving freely on our behalf the ultimate prize

of life...

God bless these things in us, O set them joyously free!

Rebuild in us compassion, a lust for justice, hunger for liberty,

rebuild.

Rebuild, rebuild!

Rebuild! Yes, rebuild, rebuild, rebuild!

"Rebuild and rebuild and rebuild," I cried,

rebuild in us that feeling

of a nation way deeper than pride!"

--R.F.

Have a blessed day of rebuilding,

Pastor Roger