Today marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years is a long time. It’s hard to believe that there’s a generation of young adults with no personal knowledge of that day. And yet, for many of us, it can still feel strangely close.
We remember the people who died in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. We remember that they left behind families and friends. We remember the first responders who ran toward danger. We remember the panic and disbelief. We remember the skies suddenly void of planes. We remember being stunned by horrific acts that none of us quite knew how to comprehend.
History gives us plenty of reminders that some events are too important to forget. Some even come with slogans. “Remember the Maine!” “Remember the Alamo!”
My memory of the Maine, if I’m honest, is mostly a vague recollection from high school history class. And my memory of the Alamo has probably been shaped more by Hollywood than by history—although I have actually visited there.
That’s the thing about human memory. It changes. It fades. It gets edited. We forget details. Some grow in importance and take on a life of their own, while others diminish or fade away.
Which makes the biblical understanding of “remember” especially interesting.
Because when the Bible says that God remembers, as it often does, it doesn’t mean that God had forgotten. God doesn’t forget.
When Scripture says that God “remembered” Noah, it wasn’t because Noah had somehow slipped God’s mind. When God “remembered” Rachel, it wasn’t because God suddenly realized Rachel was still waiting. When God remembered God’s covenant with Israel, God wasn’t pulling a file from the back of some heavenly filing cabinet.
When God remembers, God acts. God’s remembering is active. When God remembers, circumstances change. God moves toward, God raises up, and God delivers.
That gives me a different way of thinking about remembrance today.
When we remember September 11, or any other historical event that impacted us at a deeper level, we can choose to “just” look back at something that happened years ago. Or, we can bring it into our present. Tell their stories. Honor their courage and sacrifice. Remember the terrible cost of hatred and violence. Find ways to put understanding and empathy into action.
And, perhaps, remember just a bit like God remembers. God remembers us when we feel forgotten. God remembers the grief that no one else sees. God remembers the prayer we thought went unanswered. God remembers the people we carry in our hearts. And God reaches toward us in love.
Perhaps the best way to remember is not simply to look backward, but to allow what we remember to shape how we live today. To bring the past into the present—and then move us toward a different, better future.
Prayer: God, today we remember those who died on September 11, 2001. Hold their families, friends, and all who still carry their absence. Help us remember with compassion, not hatred; with gratitude, not fear; with a commitment to peace, justice, and love. And when I wonder whether anyone sees, knows, or remembers, remind me that you do. Amen.
