This morning I was given the privilege to help preside with Deputy Chief Izzy Modert and Captain Ric Stafford at the 22nd September 11th Remembrance Ceremony in Glens Falls, NY. Below is the prayer I offered for those of us who gathered in the rain. I was also introduced at the new Chaplain for the Glens Falls Fire Department.

God, the One who is, was and ever shall be, we gather in the dreariness of this morning and are reminded of the shadows of pain, loss, and disbelief those moments twenty-two years ago caused. Unimaginable images were burned into our minds and the scars of the day are indelibly etched in our lives.

On this Patriot’s Day, we gather to pause and remember the souls of those who died in the Towers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93; we commit them to your loving and gracious care and ask you would assuage the grief their families still feel.  We commend to you the firefighters, the EMTs, and the police officers who didn’t think twice about running into the buildings in order to save the myriad of strangers who were stunned with shock or wounded. These men and women sacrificed themselves in order to save the lives of others. Some, whose courage we remember and celebrate, never made it out of the towers. Others who did get out are now fighting the illnesses caused by the destructive smoke, chemicals, and debris that blanketed New York that day; we pray for their comfort, healing, and continued courage as they struggle to live healthy lives.

God of redemption and healing, come and dwell in Spirit among your broken people. Transform our tears of sadness into steadfast resolve to work for peace and reconciliation where we live.  Where there is still anger, hatred, and resentment, in your grace and mercy fill us with patience, peacefulness, and forgiveness. Bring comfort to those people whose lives have been scarred by 9/11 and to those who on this day remember the death of a loved one.

On this Patriot Day, God please displace the rancor and disunity our national leaders have proffered and replace them with grassroots civility, unity, and dialogue that have been the hallmark of our great nation. On this day, we pray we will remember all that is good, precious, and beautiful about our nation, and may the Spirit reweave us into the people and country you dream us to be.

Lord, as we remember those who served and died in the past, I ask your tender but ever-so-strong blessing upon the men and women who serve our community today. Surround them with your angels to keep them from harm, send the Spirit to their families who worry about them when they are away on duty, and give their captains and chiefs wisdom beyond their imagined capacity.

Now, Gracious One, we enter into a moment of silence as we lift and remember those who gave their all on this solemn morning….