Rick Warren’s 9/11 sermon: The Bible says, ‘Fear not’

We want to remember and honor those who gave their lives on 9/11 and those who fought to preserve our freedom since 9/11; and honor and recognize those who care for our troops and their families.

Ordinary does not mean insignificant. Todd Beamer led (fellow) passengers in the Lord’s Prayer and then he said those words, “Let’s roll.”

“When is it right to fight?” The Bible lists three conditions -- personal freedom, defending the innocent and stopping the spread of evil.

You never get over grief. You get through it. Grief isn’t what paralyzes us; it is fear. The Bible never says “Grieve not;” it says, “Fear not.”

There are three lessons to be learned from 9/11. First, life is a gift that is fragile and brief. Whatever you are going to do with your life, you had better get it done. Second, everybody needs community. And thirdly, everybody has a spiritual hole in their heart that only God can fill. When in crisis, we know that we need God and we can’t forget Him when times are good.

God loves each one of us as if there were one of us; He has never made a person he doesn’t love. Maybe you’ve wandered off from Him. The 9/11 anniversary would be a good time to come home.

This essay was adapted from a sermon given by Warren on the 9/11 anniversary.

More On Faith and 9/11:

Desmond Tutu: Our post-9/11 failures

Dalai Lama: Yearning for co-existence

Dan Dennett: Confirming our fears

Tony Blair: Remaking the world after 9/11

Sam Harris: 9/11 demands intellectual honesty

Thomas Monson: Rebuilding our souls

T.D. Jakes: Spirituality after the attack

Feisal Abdul Rauf: Radical Islam on its way out

Donald Wuerl: Peace begins internally

Katharine Jefferts Schori: Live the memorial

Mark Driscoll: Death and the hope of resurrection

Karen Armstrong: Unite through compassion

Deepak Chopra: Divided hearts, divided world

Yasir Qadhi: Americans still don’t know Islam

 | Sep 11, 2011 9:39 AM