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 INTRODUCTION
Time Magazine (Nov. 19 '01, Page 38) called it "The Great Awakening"; "Along with reaffirmation of family values, there has been a much-discussed reaffirmation of faith, a religious revival triggered by trauma that saw churches… flooded with worshippers in the days following the [September 11] attacks… Even after the initial burst of fervor subsided, churches… report attendance is up 5% to 15%.
But according to the New York Times, church attendance across America was back to normal recently; "Americans, who after the attacks turned to religion in an outpouring that some religious leaders hailed as a spiritual 'great awakening,' have now mostly returned to their former habit," said the Times report. "Some religious leaders predicted that the phenomenon would be short-lived, but many, like the evangelist Franklin Graham… hailed it as an enduring turn toward God," according to the New York Times.
HISTORY REPEATS
Perhaps God is persuaded to allow trauma because sometimes that's the only way He can get our attention! In times of national tragedy, suddenly all our petty differences are forced back into perspective, as it did 60 years ago this month; December 7 1941, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; a day of "infamy". The United States was united then and it has been again with this latest attack.
THE NATIONAL DAY OF RECONCILIATION
In a resolution… "by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, [it was resolved that] the rotunda of the Capitol be used… on December 4, 2001, for a National Day of Reconciliation where… the Members of the two Houses may gather to humbly seek the blessings of Providence for forgiveness, reconciliation, unity, and charity for all people of the United States, thereby assisting the Nation to realize its potential as; (A) the champion of hope; (B) the vindicator of the defenseless; and (C) the guardian of freedom."
Pete Winn, associate editor of CitizenLink gave this summary: "More than a hundred congressmen and over 30 senators attended an 'amazing' time of prayer and praise in the nation's Capitol on Tuesday. For the first time since the Civil War, members of Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the president, were all invited to gather in the capitol Rotunda to seek the face of God in prayer, and in the privacy of their own hearts. 'There were liberals, conservatives, women and men, black and white, praying to our Lord and Savior, and it was amazing,' said Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., who attended the entire event. Souder said members had been concerned about how to approach the time together, but it turned out to be both nonpartisan and non-ideological. Indeed, both Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Minority Leader Trent Lott turned out.
PLANNED DIVISION
'The history of our Congress has always been one of disagreement, it was designed that way, but we all have one common Creator, and tonight in the United States Capitol, we acknowledged Him as our Lord and our Savior, the Lord of the Universe,' said Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., who also took part in the prayer session. Mark Souder added: "This was a moment, a time in America, when we realized that we needed to gather together. Yes, we're going to have passionate differences, but we needed to pray to a higher power than just us, because we cannot cope as a country with just human strength.' "
A NEW YEAR OF OPPORTUNITIES
As we enter the year 2002, let us believe that the Church will wake up and take notice of the lead provided by America's civil authorities, and put aside all our differences. The promise of the lord is familiar. He says, "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron7:14). You say, "but I'm humbling myself and praying" yes, but our humility to God is not complete until we learn to humble ourselves to one another.
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
The enemy has not only divided us from others, he has made us proud that we are separate. We think being separate is a virtue. Only one group of people consistently found the Lord confronting and resisting them in the New Testament: the Pharisees. That word means; "the separate." As we "humble themselves and pray", healing from God begins to flow. When white Christians humble themselves and ask for forgiveness from African and native Americans and vice versa, God will begin to heal the land under our feet. Let us be reconciled by our own choice!
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