"There is no fear in love,
but perfect love casts out fear."
1 John 4:18

As we approach the 3-year anniversary of the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001, it doesn't hurt to glean wisdom and perspective. Just this week I received a timely message entitled Living in a Time of Terrorism adopted by the Church Council of the ELCA on April 18, 2004. From that little pamphlet, I have extracted several nuggets for our reflection and sustenance:

1. While terrorism has a long history, its threat to peace has intensified in our time.
    
2. Complacency and wishful thinking endanger peace; pride and self-righteousness endanger peace as well.
    
3. Governments cannot provide perfect or total security; when they claim or seek to do so, they become agents of arrogant pride and the injustice and insecurity that flow from pride.
    
4. Careful and critical public discussion is essential to sort out truth from deceit and genuine security concerns from self-serving manipulation.
    
5. Whenever military action is considered, citizens have responsibility to hold their government accountable to just war principles. Especially contentious in the struggle against terrorism is the meaning of three of these principles: legitimate authority (who authorizes war?), last resort (questions of pre-emption), and reasonable chance of success (does this military action increase or decrease the threat of terrorism?).
    
6. Living from the security of faith in God, Christians in a fearful society may exhibit courage to evaluate soberly the threat of terrorism without ignoring it or becoming all-consumed by it.
    
7. Terrorism haunts our times, but so do hunger and poverty, corrupt and brutal political systems, harsh discrimination and social inequalities, civil wars, environmental degradation, and epidemic diseases. To neglect or be indifferent to these realities while countering terrorism is both morally wrong and shortsighted.
    
8. The Holy Spirit calls us in the Church to proclaim the Gospel of God's final peace and to work for earthly peace, even when terrorism and other evils haunt our times.

O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to your Church, peace among the nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
... Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 42

Contributed by Pastor Dan
Published Sunday August 22, 2004
Week 39 of Liturgical Year C