On today's date, twenty one years ago, America was attacked. If you're old enough, you will never forget it. If you don't remember it, you will hear about it year after year.
The attack that day took out 3,000 brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. People who entered eternity. Our country changed. Our world changed.
Our President said,
"Now, we have inscribed a new memory [inside our hearts]. It's a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It's also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend―even a friend whose name it never knew. (George W. Bush)
So we pray for peace. We pray for hope. We pray and work to make the kind of country, and the kind of world, that will know the blessing of God — and we believe that can only happen through Christ and his gospel.
And that is what I want to talk about today.
Will You Remember?
A little boy asked his Grandpa, "Grandpa, will you remember me an hour from now?"
His Grandpa said, "Yes, I'll remember you an hour from now." The boy said, "Will you remember me a day from now?"
"Of course I'll remember you a day from now." The boy said, "Will you remember me a week from now"
"Yes," said Grandpa, "I'll still remember you a week from now. And a month from now and a year from now and a hundred years form now." The boy thought for a minute. He said, "Knock knock.
Grandpa said, "Who's there?"The boy said, "I thought you said you'd remember me!"
Tuck that away and let's get into our story today.
I invite you today to think with me about:
I don't know what it is that brought you to church today. But here you are.
Maybe you feel it's random. Maybe you came because you're meeting someone.
Maybe you're not really sure how you wound up here today.
I believe that God was part of that decision, in his own secret and mysterious ways. And I think God in heaven orchestrated your life so that you could not only hear my words today... I believe that God wanted you here so that you could make very important person choice... today. That's coming in a few minutes.
Now, let's get into a pretty dramatic story in the Bible of a very Stubborn Person.
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath. He was eager to destroy the Lord's followers, so he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there... (Acts 9:1, 2)
