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Ash Wednesday GROUND ZERO – the site where the World Trade Center once stood before it was destroyed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Not much is there anymore. For eight months crews worked around the clock to search for bodies and to clear out the debris – finally finishing in May, 2002. Most of the images that were so indelibly impressed on our minds – such as the terrible billowing smoke and the steel skeleton “fingers” are now just fading memories. All that is left now at Ground Zero is a sixteen-acre HOLE. Perhaps that hole is an appropriate symbol in its own right. It is a symbol of the emptiness and despair that so many have felt since that Day of Terror. It is a symbol of how the hopes and dreams of so many people were reduced to nothingness. In the midst of New York City – surrounded by skyscraper buildings – the hole is a mute symbol of death and destruction. But time is passing on. Plans have been made and approved for rebuilding new structures at that site. It has not been an easy process. Some would prefer that the hole remain just as it is as a lasting reminder of the events of that terrible day. Others wanted to rebuild – not only for commercial reasons (16 acres of real estate in down-town Manhattan is almost unimaginably valuable) but also to show the world that the forces of terrorism have not defeated New York’s spirit. The plan actually adopted seeks to incorporate all points of view – of remembering the tragedy of September 11th and yet also looking forward to the future. There will new buildings built, including one that will be the world’s tallest building at 1,776 feet. There will also be a memorial called “Reflecting Absence” on the grounds to commemorate those who lost their lives on that day. After a lot of soul-searching and emotional debate on what should be done, the focus is now upon getting ready to fill the hole. In a way, this is the same problem that we Christians are wrestling with on this holy day of Ash Wednesday. On this day, we reflect upon the holes of OUR LIVES that are caused by sin and death. We confess that although God created us to be His beloved children and to be part of a perfect creation, we in many ways have fallen far short of what He intended. Both spiritually and physically, we are responsible for the destruction of so much that God holds dear. We have harmed and polluted God’s world, we have often hated and exploited each other, and we have turned away from loving and serving our Lord. In place of the good that God has intended, we by our sinful actions and neglect have in many ways destroyed ourselves and the world around us. So many of our hopes and dreams – and God’s hopes and dreams – now lie in ruins and ashes. And the end of it all – as we have been reminded earlier during the imposition of ashes – is death. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” So now what? The important thing about this day is not only remembering the holes of sin and death in our lives, but also considering what should FILL those holes in the future. Even as we confess our sins and remember our mortality, we believe that God through Jesus Christ can make us new. Indeed, God can and does make ALL things new! Even in the midst of despair and hopelessness, there is still hope! We Christians have a hope of a resurrection that we are looking forward to at Easter. We are also looking forward to a rebirth and renewal in the direction of our lives. We have a hope that somehow – despite our failures of the past and present, God can bless us and use us to be a blessing. It is a bedrock foundation of our faith that God – if we will let Him – can bring good out of the holes and ashes of our lives – and give us new lives that are far better than what we have had and lived before. Just like the “Ground Zero” hole of the former World Trade Center towers in New York City, we know that the “Ground Zero” holes of our lives will always be a part of our memories and who and what we are. But we also know that God for Jesus’ sake can also rebuilt us and make us better than before. That is why – even on this day of Ash Wednesday as we remember and confess the death and destruction that is present in our lives and in the world at large – we also can have hope and can look forward to the future. As David says in the 51st Psalm – “Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.” Rebuild us, O Lord. Rebuild us, we pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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