Practicing our faith is one of things that we think is critical to transformational work. These pages provide prayers, poems, artwork, liturgies, reflections and links to help us connect with the Source the fuels our work. These resources are interfaith. We welcome and respect the contributions of all faith traditions and spiritual perspectives.
If you have resources you’ve found helpful, let us know. We’d love to post them! Click here to submit.
Commemorating September 11
Advocate Health Care: A Service of Remembrance and Hope
Advocate Health Care will hold services of commemoration at all its hospital sites around the weekend of September 11. Many services are planned in partnership with faith community partners. Click here for an example of one service that is being used.
The Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics (formerly a program of Advocate Health Care) published several articles in its publication, The Bulletin, that spoke to issues surrounding September 11. These would be useful for use in a study series or as a sermon resource.
Muslim “Chicken Soup for the Soul”
Our Better Angels: Resources for the Commemoration of September 11
The Jewish Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary cosponsored three evenings of learning and music at St. Paul’s Chapel (right next to Ground Zero) in New York City. Each evening explored Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions on Tragedy, Mourning, and Healing, respectively. Each event was concluded by a live musical performance.
A Muslim Prayer for Peace
In the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations,
That we may know each other, not that
we may despise each other.
If the enemy inclines towards peace, do
thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
Most Gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say “PEACE.”
The Lancaster Interchurch Peace Witness
The LIPW, located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, published a set of materials to help congregations develop a reverent and faithful response to the events of 9-11, think critically about the global posture of our nation in the last decade, and find hopeful encouragement in the way forward. Click here for the packet, which can be viewed on-line or downloaded as a pdf.
textweek.com
Textweek is an on-line resource for Christian religious leaders to find scriptures, reflections, sermon ideas and liturgies for the liturgical calendar. They have a section devoted to resources for use on Sept. 11.
The Alban Institute’s Congregational Resource Guide
CRG is assembling a series of thought-provoking and hopeful commentaries by a wide array of writers. Watch http://www.ReadTheSpirit.com for fresh and helpful materials daily on these themes. NOTE: All of their 9/11 stories can be shared and reproduced, which makes them especially useful for congregations and small groups.
A Christian Prayer for September 11
God the compassionate one,
whose loving care extends to all the world,
we remember this day your children of many nations and many faiths
whose lives were cut short by the
fierce flames of anger and hatred.
Console those who continue to suffer and grieve,
and give them comfort and hope as they look to the future.
Out of what we have endured,
give us the grace to examine our relationships
with those who perceive us as the enemy,
and show our leaders the way to use our power
to serve the good of all for the healing of the nations.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord who,
in reconciling love,
was lifted up from the earth
that he might draw all things to himself.
Amen.
–Prepared by The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church, USA, for September 11 anniversary observances.
