Th Lord is My Shepherd

On September 11, and the days following, our whole lives were a window into life and death, faith and doubt, suffering and global consolation.  On that day, at noon, I hosted a prayer service for the Interchurch Center on Riverside Drive, where our offices are located.  Thousands in our building had seen, like we did, the towers fall and did not know the fate of loved ones downtown.  As our prayer I asked each of those present to name the names of those on their hearts downtown.  To hear those names come at me through clenched teeth and strained voices, to add my own names was such a shocking experience that it drove us all to our deepest reserves of spiritual depth.  Our different religious traditions did not separate us.  We were united in our humanity before God and each other.  And I spoke by heart the 23rd psalm, which paints a picture of community which is relevant to us today.