it's the year 4001. geographically, the world is the same as it was in 2001. life has not really changed any more than it should have over the past 2,000 years. sure, instead of cars we have machines that beem us where we want to go in about 1/10 the amount of time. and the internet is way outdated. history sources teach students of all the major events that have impacted the world throughout time. September 11, 2001 is among them. students learn the date, see pictures of New York, learn the world leader's names, pass their test, and go on. 9/11, the day that completely changed every american a couple thousand years before, doesn't mean much anymore. 2,000 years later, it's just a fact along with all the others. on vacations, some go to new york, visit memorials, take pictures, and life goes on. the general thought is that 9/11 happened, a lot of people were affected, but now we're beyond it. we've moved past the problems that made the responses relevant. we're 2,000 years down the road. that was part of history, but this is a new day. that changed history, but doesn't affect life anymore.

hardly seems possible, doesn't it? some might even be offended that anyone would think such an imagination. from our view point on life, we would think this day would never come. probably not. i hope not. i hope no one ever is able to put 9/11 out of their minds. i hope we continue to heal, but life has been permanently altered, and for more than enough good reason.

but is this a picture of the church? 2,000 years down the road, the cross of Jesus is worth remembering, but not much else? the event that changed everything - is it just a part of history now? we have pictures that have been drawn from imagination, we have churches where people remember God, we have crosses on jewelry and car windows, but is life un-altered? are we like students who learn the facts, hope to pass the test, and go on?
we have not moved beyond the problem that made a response necessary. more than just a day in history, the cross is relevant today, 2,000 years later. how much do we allow the cross to affect our lives today?
What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NLT)