A Time to Remember, A Call to Unity
I remember September 11, 2001, as so many Americans do—staring at a television for hours, trying to comprehend what we were seeing. First came the news that a plane had struck the North Tower. Then, just minutes later, a second plane hit the South Tower. Soon came reports of another plane striking the Pentagon, another crashing in Pennsylvania, and then the unimaginable sight of the towers collapsing. Somewhere in the middle of these events, we realized this was not accidental. America was under attack. These were deliberate acts of terrorism intended to take innocent lives, spread fear, and strike at our nation. The timeline of that morning became etched into our memories as one terrible event followed another. Across the country, people were calling friends and family in New York and Washington, waiting for word that they were safe. Some received that reassuring call. Far too many did not.
Four years later, I visited Ground Zero. The area was still very much a work site—fencing and construction equipment surrounded a vast emptiness where the towers had once stood, and reminders of the destruction were everywhere. Nearby buildings still bore visible scars from the attacks. Standing there was different from seeing it on television. The scale of the loss was suddenly tangible. In the middle of a city known for its noise and movement, people walked up to the site and simply stood. Silent. Still. Reflective. There was a heaviness to the place that is difficult to describe.
Nearly 3,000 lives were lost on September 11. We remember them. We remember the firefighters, police officers, first responders, and ordinary men and women who ran toward danger rather than away from it. We remember the passengers of Flight 93 who sacrificed themselves to save others. Their courage remains an extraordinary picture of Jesus' words: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
But there is something else I remember about the days that followed.
For a time, America felt remarkably united.
Flags appeared on porches and car windows across the country. Churches saw their fullest Sundays in years. People prayed, many for the first time in a long time. There was a kind of national pride and unity I hadn't felt before—and haven't felt since. Political differences and the countless things that normally separate us suddenly seemed much less important. In the shadow of something terrible, we were reminded that there was much more holding us together than pulling us apart.
Twenty-five years later, that may be one of the lessons of September 11 that we most need to remember.
We live in a time when division comes easily. We are encouraged to sort ourselves into camps and to assume the worst of those who disagree with us. Scripture calls God's people to something different—to live “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2–3).
The unity we experienced after September 11 was born out of tragedy. It should not require another tragedy for us to rediscover it.
At BCS, we want our students to know and understand the history of September 11, but we also want them to learn from it. We want them to see the courage, sacrifice, compassion, and unity that emerged amid evil and unimaginable loss, and to understand that, as followers of Christ, we are called to live with those same qualities every day, not only when tragedy demands it.
As we remember September 11 this year, may we honor those who died and those who served. May we tell our children about the courage and sacrifice displayed that day. But may we also remember what those difficult days taught us about ourselves—that we can put aside differences, care for our neighbors, pray for one another, serve sacrificially, and recognize the blessings God has entrusted to us.
Perhaps one of the best ways we can honor those we lost is not simply to remember how they died, but to remember how, for a season, we chose to live afterward.
Bill Bridges
Head of School