9/11 at 25: Remembering the Past, Living Forward in Hope
Photo from archives of Tampa Bay Times
An ordinary Tuesday morning ended as the day that redefined a nation forever.
By the end of that Tuesday, 25 years ago, planes had been hijacked, the two World Trade Center towers had collapsed, the Pentagon had been struck, United Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania, and over 3,000 people were killed.
For those of us old enough to remember that day, we still can see the images of the planes smashing into the towers, the smoke, the towers falling, and people running through the streets of New York covered in dust. It is difficult to believe that twenty-five years have passed. An entire generation has now grown up knowing September 11 only as history.
But for many of us, it isn’t merely history; it is an opportunity to let what we remember shape how we move forward.
We Remember Where We Were
Most people who lived through September 11 can still tell you where they were when they heard the news. We remember watching television screens trying to understand what was happening. We remember calling family members. We remember wondering whether there would be more attacks.
But I also remember something else.
For a moment, many of the things that divided us seemed much less important. American flags appeared everywhere. Churches filled with people praying. Strangers helped strangers. First responders became national heroes. Lawmakers stood shoulder to shoulder on the steps of the Capitol Building, unified.
There was a sense that we were in this together.
Twenty-five years later, it sometimes feels like we have forgotten that.
We Should Be Honest About Where We Are
America in 2026 is very different from America in 2001. We are more connected technologically, yet in many ways we seem more disconnected relationally.
Our phones give us access to more information than we could have imagined twenty-five years ago, yet those same devices can keep us angry, distracted, suspicious, and divided. Social media algorithms have shaped how we're outraged at people different from us. We have learned to sort ourselves into groups of people who think like us, vote like us, watch the same news we watch, and reinforce what we already believe.
And Christians are not immune. Sometimes we have allowed the outrage of our culture to shape us more than the character of Christ.
September 11, 2001, reminds us of something important, a lesson we still need to remember today: our deepest problems cannot ultimately be solved by politics, technology, economics, or military strength. Those things have their place, but none of them can change the human heart.
“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”
Psalm 46:1
Twenty-five years later, that remains true.
We Remember the Best of What We Saw
September 11 showed us some of the worst things human beings can do. But it also showed us some of the best:
Firefighters climbed stairwells while others descended them.
Police officers and first responders ran toward buildings everyone else was running away from.
Passengers aboard Flight 93 understood what was happening and acted courageously, knowing what it might cost them.
Ordinary people opened their homes, gave blood, prayed, served, sacrificed, and cared for their neighbors.
In the middle of unimaginable darkness, countless examples of courage, compassion, sacrifice, and love emerged. We should remember those things too, because remembrance isn’t simply about looking backward. Remembrance should shape how we live forward.
Our Hope Is Greater Than Our Circumstances
I love our country, but my ultimate hope is not in America. America cannot save us. No president can save us. No political party can save us. No election can save us. No military can save us from the deepest problem facing humanity.
Twenty-five years later, we need to remember our ultimate hope is Jesus Christ.
Governments rise and fall. Nations change. Economies struggle. Wars begin and end. Generations come and go. But Jesus Christ remains the same.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
— Hebrews 13:8
That was true on September 10, 2001. It was true on September 11, 2001. And it is still true on September 11, 2026.
The Christian hope does not mean pretending that evil isn’t real. The cross itself reminds us just how real evil, suffering, injustice, and death are. But the empty tomb of Jesus reminds us that evil does not get the final word; Jesus does!
Twenty-Five Years Later
So what should we do twenty-five years later?
We should remember those who died.
We should honor those who sacrificed.
We should pray for families who still carry wounds from that day.
We should be grateful for those who continue to serve our communities and country.
We should refuse to allow disagreement to turn our neighbors into enemies.
We should demonstrate the compassion, courage, and sacrifice that appeared in some of our nation’s darkest hours.
Our country needs Christians who are deeply committed to truth without becoming cruel. Christians who love their neighbors, including neighbors who don’t look, believe, or vote like them. Christians whose hope is unmistakably rooted in Jesus.
Because twenty-five years later, nations still rise and fall, circumstances still change, and the world can still shake.
But Jesus is still King.
