Sharing 9/11 Prayers, Litanies And Worship Resources

It is hard to believe that this September will the 10th year since that defining morning when the World Trade Center and our understanding of the world was attacked. I still remember getting into my car that morning shocked at how inappropriate the morning show was being that day. Then the realization that they were not joking hit me as it did for many others. With that day our world was changed forever, political discourse altered and new social tensions emerged.

Churches responded in a variety of ways: we held services, we spoke in the public square and we prayed with and for humanity. I never bought into the idea that there would be some kind of church attendance resurgence and I believe that most of the church, in the immediate aftermath, responded out of a deep grief and sadness with compassion and grace. Of course time changed perceptions and perspectives about many things that were born that day: new wars, religious backlash, security concern, etc. I am not sure that we can say the the larger church and those who claim to be part of it have been as healing a presence as were were those first days and weeks, but I have faith that most are being faithful.

And now we come to the 10th Anniversary of what is now simply known as 9/11. And while there may be some who will use this time to stir up the ugliness and anxiety that has been so evident around our understanding of patriotism, security and religious pluralism, this can also be a time when the church can speak a word of peace, grace and hope into society.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, Mark Koenig, the director of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations asked if I would help get the word out about resources that people will be using in their places of worship on and around Sunday, September 11, 2011. Some people have begun sharing resources and links on this FACEBOOK STATUS UPDATE, but I know that there must be more folks out there who have been writing and creating meaningful litanies, prayers and other worship resources.

So . . . please share what you have here or via any other these other outlets. If you leave comments here, I’ll try to update this post with appropriate links.

General Links . . .