Skip to Content TIME U.S. Sections -> * Home * NewsFeed * U.S. * Politics * World * Business * Tech * Health * Science * Entertainment * Video * TIME 100 * Photos * Magazine * LIFE.com * Lists * Sports Search Search TIME ____________________ Go * Follow + Facebook + Twitter + Google+ + Tumblr + RSS * Apps How to Preach on Sunday, September 11, 2011 By Elizabeth Dias Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 * Share + + Tweet + + * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + Corbis Related * The Importance of Understanding Religion in a Post-9/11 World * In Fragmented Miami, a 9/11 Show of Unity Among Faiths * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Del.i.cious + Google+ * Comment * Reprints Follow @TIME On the 10th anniversary of September 11 Sunday morning, some 120 million Americans will be sitting in church pews. Waiting nearby in half a million pulpits will be much of the nation's clergy, sermons in hand. The question is, What will they preach? This Sunday's sermon has been a hot topic for pastors across the country for months. Barbara Brown Taylor, a critically-acclaimed Episcopal preacher and Islam professor at Piedmont College, has become a go-to for sermon counsel. "I would focus on wisdom gained. I would try to think about what we have learned over these 10 years," she says of the anniversary Sunday. "What we have learned about our religious neighbors, what we have learned about ourselves, and what does our tradition teach us about how to go forward?" (See behind the scenes of TIME's Beyond 9/11 cover.) This week's lectionary lineup offers powerful passages for reflection along these lines. Biblical texts for scheduled for this Sunday include Moses leading the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, Joseph forgiving his brothers who sold him to slavery, and Jesus requiring forgiveness seventy times seven times, a Biblical metaphor for continual grace. Some of the most famous words in the Psalms are also on tap: "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love" (Psalm 103). While not all Christian traditions follow the lectionary guide, many mainline Protestant churches will worship united around passages that have provided hope since they were penned several thousand years ago. Denominational leaders are also reaching out to their pastors to help guide their words. As a guiding principle for Sunday, Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, asks pastors to consider, "Have we become more effective reconcilers as a result? Are we more committed to peace-making?" Rev. James H. Cooper at Trinity Wall Street Church in Lower Manhattan challenges that the day should be about preaching forgiveness instead of solely remembering pain. "The horrific nature of the attacks had their counterpart that day in the messages that were spoken person to person, prayed, and heard by God," he advised on the church's website. Groups like Textweek and Congregational Resource Guide have provided online resources like prayer and hymn suggestions, including "O God, Our Hearts Were Shattered," an interfaith hymn written for the anniversary Sunday. In the back of many preachers' minds lingers the painful reality that a tiny minority of Christians proclaimed not reconciliation but planned Quran burnings and mosque relocation wars. "There are many things a preacher could do wrong this Sunday," cautions Taylor. "I would speak from and to the congregation in front of me." She suggests pastors specifically consider, questions such as, How was this congregation, this city, this town was affected by 9/11? How did the church respond at the time? What initiatives have they undertaken since? How can my message serve this community's story? (See photos of Shanksville, the most forgotten piece of 9/11.) St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City is doing just that by asking people to submit their own 9/11 remembrances online. These can then be used to provide specific pastoral care and to strengthen the church's community. In the Cathedral's attic, a tangible reminder of the day still stands untouched: four firefighters who died on 9/11 had signed their names into its walls and windows. On the whole, this decade has brought Christian efforts to better understand other religions, especially Islam. Even seemingly small phrases matter. Ten years ago, many preachers referred foremost to the 'Judeo-Christian' tradition. Today many pastors, like Taylor, use the term 'Abrahamic' traditions to include Muslim brothers and sisters, who also descend from Judaism's and Christianity's Father Abraham. How sermons go this Sunday may shed light on how far churches have come. "Churches were spilling over on the weekend after 9/11. Preachers looked out on congregations larger than they had been in a decade, or multiple decades," Taylor notes. "The 10-year anniversary is a chance to look again and to reflect on whether the church has been able to give people any practical help on living in a changed global reality." See how to talk to kids about 9/11. See previously unpublished photos from 9/11 by the amazing James Nachtwey. The Magazine Subscribe Current Time.com Cover * The Year in Pictures * Photos: 2013: The Year In Culture * Even After Volcker, Banks Aren't Safe Enough * 10 Questions with Rick Warren * Table of Contents * Subscribe Now * Online Issue Archive Most Read 1. 'The Wolf of Wall Street': The True Story 2. 5 Simple Steps to a Better 2014 3. 'The Wolf of Wall Street': Scorsese and DiCaprio Fall For the Big Con 4. A Newly Discovered Underground Lake in Greenland Will Help Us Understand Climate Change 5. 50 Best Android Apps for 2013 6. Snapchat Weakness Would Reportedly Allow Phone Numbers to Be Matched to User Accounts 7. Pope Francis Excommunicates Priest Who Backed Women's Ordination and Gays 8. The Most Surprising Photos of 2013 9. The Navy's Amazing Ocean-Powered Underwater Drone 10. Arts and Entertainment Most Emailed 1. 50 Best Android Apps for 2013 2. Windows XP to Become a Hacker's Dream in 2014, Experts Warn 3. How Many Steps Does it Take to Avoid a Heart Attack? Researchers Find Out 4. 'The Wolf of Wall Street': The True Story 5. The Navy's Amazing Ocean-Powered Underwater Drone 6. Here's What Christmas Morning Would Look Like Through the Lens of Your Favorite Directors 7. Artist Creates 3D Art Using Strangers' DNA 8. Ralph Fiennes' 'The Invisible Woman': Dickens in Love 9. UPS Bosses Hit The Road To Deliver Late Christmas Packages 10. The Target Credit Card Breach: What You Should Know More News from Our Partners Slate * * * Huffington Post * [] * [] * [] Sponsored A Pragmatist's Guide for Living She heads an organization that has been part of the lives of 59 million American women. Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Anna Maria Chavez still relies on the values instilled in her many years ago, including her belief in data-driven decision-making TIME NewslettersSee all Newsletters Newsletter Free! Sign Up Now * Breaking News * Politics * Entertainment * LightBox * and more... Your Email ____________________ (Submit) Go Voices * Joel Stein The Year of Not Trying Too Hard * James Poniewozik 2013 TV in Review: The Rise of Craft-Brewed Television * Richard Corliss Critics Awards 2: Judgment Daze * Rana Foroohar The Original Wolf of Wall Street Carl Icahn Returns * Joe Klein Bashar Assad, The Lethal Tyrant * Fareed Zakaria Big Fuss Over a Small Iran Deal * iPad * iPhone * Android * TIME TV * Populist * The Page * TIME Home * NewsFeed * U.S. * Politics * World * Business * Tech * Health * Science * Entertainment * Photos * Videos * Lists * Magazine * (c) 2013 Time Inc. All rights reserved * Privacy Policy * Your California Privacy Rights * RSS * Newsletter * Mobile * TIME For Kids * Subscribe * Contact Us * Terms of Use * Media Kit * Reprints & Permissions * Help * Site Map * Ad Choices * Custom Content TIME logo our partners CNN logo CNN Money logo