This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the attacks of 11 September 2001. Like many people, I remember that day vividly. As a parish priest in London, I was attending a meeting in the City when news began to emerge of what had happened in New York. Throughout the day there was a growing sense that the world had changed and that many of the assumptions on which we relied had suddenly become fragile.
What stays most clearly in my memory, however, is not the meeting but the evening. On that unprecedented night, we gathered in church with many who worked in the City, for our evening Eucharist. Those who came did so seeking companionship, prayer and reassurance. Together we listened to God’s word and gathered around the bread and wine of Holy Communion. In the midst of fear and confusion, people found comfort in God’s presence and strength in one another.
Our Church that night was place of solace, a home in which we could bring our fears and questions, and in doing so become part of a story that stretched back through generations of faith. Indeed, our gathering became one more chapter in that continuing story of God’s people seeking hope and finding strength in Christ.
This is a truth our church buildings embody. They are not simply beautiful historic monuments or repositories of local history. The fact that their walls have witnessed times of peace and conflict, seasons of growth and decline, moments of celebration and profound sorrow, is a visible reminder that while the world around us changes, God remains steadfast.
In the letter to the Hebrews we read: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever” (Hebrews 13.8). Those words capture the deepest significance of Christian history and of our church heritage. Circumstances change, nations rise and fall, societies are transformed, but the Lord whom our forebears worshipped is the same Lord whom we worship today.
This is why I am pleased that this month we are once again celebrating the rich heritage of our churches through Heritage Open Days and the annual Ride and Stride. As people visit our churches in these coming days, I hope they will discover more than history. I hope they will encounter a living story: the story of generations of Christians who have sought to follow Christ in changing times. Above all, I hope they will glimpse the faithfulness of God, who has guided his people through every age and who remains with us today.
The Psalmist writes, “One generation shall praise your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” Our churches help us do exactly that. They connect past, present and future, bearing witness to the God who is the same yesterday, today and for ever. As we celebrate and support these remarkable buildings this month, may we give thanks not only for our heritage, but also for the hope and confidence that it inspires.
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