It’s Friday. But not just any Friday. It’s September 11, 2020.
Nineteen years after the horrific terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City.
As I write these words today, amidst the turmoil that exists in our country surrounding the last 6 months, I can’t help but think about the aftermath of 9/11 and it’s intersections with the gospel.

I distinctly remember where I was and how that day transpired for me. I was a senior in high school in Family Living class. At the time, the class was taught by our principal, and he informed us that a plane (American Airlines Flight 11) had just crashed into one of the twin towers in NYC. We were all shocked. Or at least I was. I don’t remember much else in that moment except trying to process what I was hearing. We moved over to a classroom that had a cable news feed, and we all sat in disbelief watching the news. I’ll never forget the feelings of shock and rage that welled up inside of me when I witnessed (via TV) the second plane (United Airlines Flight 175) hitting the south tower.

It was unbelievable.
How was this happening?

I mean, we read about similar things happening in our history books, but it always seemed so far off. Even large-scale world wars that had many more casualties and on a far larger scale seemed distant and from a different world. But this one was much closer to home. After all, we only live a little less than 5 hours from New York City. Little did we know that shortly after Flight 175 hit the south tower, another plane (American Airlines Flight 77) would crash into the side of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. And then shortly after that, a fourth plane (United Airlines Flight 93) would crash-land in a field in Somerset, PA, when heroic men and women fought back against the hijackers and forced the plane down. Somerset is only about an hour away from us. Talk about close to home.

But it wasn’t as close to home as it could have been. I didn’t personally know anyone who died that day, but it rocked the nation on a fundamental level. I remember going to work that night trying to process what happened. I worked by myself, so it was just me and the radio, which was full of patriotic country songs and continuing news reports. I distinctly remember feeling a sense of American unity. I remember thinking things like “they did this to us” and “how could this happen to us?” Based on the reactions of others, and the events of the next few days, there was a definite sense of unity across the nation.

Looking across the landscape of our nation today, it is about as divided as at any point in our short history, except for maybe the Civil War. Some would probably argue it’s even more divided than that, and perhaps they would be right. This got me thinking about what makes up authentic unity. Post 9/11, it was a common crisis that was bigger than any political agenda or personal vendetta. I do believe that was authentic unity, but it didn’t last. Way before Covid-19 hit, and racial tensions reached a boiling point, the apparent unity had been long gone in our nation.

What if this is the point all along?

All of the unity that we experience on a temporal level is only meant to foreshadow the greater unity that is possible through Jesus. A unity that is built on anything other than the gospel of Jesus can’t possibly sustain the onslaught of attacks that threaten to tear it apart. It can’t be sustained because it’s not meant to be. It was never designed to be. If you look at any team, any organization, any government, there is always a breaking point where that unity will fracture due to a deeper issue.

When it comes to the gospel, there is no deeper issue. There is nothing waiting under the surface to fracture the unity. It runs all the way to the roots. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has rooted out every form of pride and selfishness by breaking down the hostility that exists between enemies (Ephesians 2). This makes it all the more exasperating when those of us who claim to follow Jesus allow our heart-level unity to be fractured by action-level issues. Things like political views, racial tensions, generational assumptions, and personal preferences have the power to drive a wedge between even Jesus people. As if to say that the unity that we experience around those issues runs deeper than the unity we have through Jesus.

“Let’s not primarily be known for the issues that we stand against, but rather for the Savior that we serve.”

Let’s not buy into that, church.
Let’s not primarily be known for the issues that we stand against, but rather for the Savior that we serve.
Let’s not think for one second that forgetting who we are in Christ is anything less than gospel amnesia.
Trying to drum up a unity in anything other than the gospel is hopeless and futile, and ultimately damning.

So, yes, never forget what happened that day 19 years ago–I know I won’t.
Never forget the response in the aftermath of those attacks–it was a beautiful picture of a nation united.
But perhaps, as Jesus people, we should also never forget because that unity that showed up for a brief time post 9/11 points us to the reality of the greater unity that we experience because of Jesus.

Never forget your identity, not only as an American, but more importantly, as a follower of Jesus.