From 9/11 to Today’s Tragedies: Words of Hope from Dr. Drake

Yesterday, as I prepared words in light of 9/11, I expected to memorialize the four planes, the twin towers, the Pentagon, and the field outside of Shanksville. I hoped to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost and honor the sacrifice of the first responders. The attacks of that day left a profound impact on my family, this nation, and the world. The evil of hatred was tangible; you could smell it in the air and taste it in the wind. (At the time I was commuting daily to Yonkers over the Hudson River). I will never forget the profound shock and subsequent grief. What I also remember is the unexpected unity that arose in the weeks and months that followed. People returned to church. Flags were flown from the windows of cars. Baseball fans put their arms around their cross-town rivals. Something beautiful was rising from the ashes. 

Twenty-four years later the grief had finally leveled off. It was still there but, in the background, and less sharp. The unity, however, is gone. Division and discord rule the day, and hate is baked into the fabric of our culture. And then we come to the tragedies of the past two weeks and the last 24 hours, and we are shocked all over again.  Fatal school shootings in Minnesota and Colorado, the stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. The grief is back, honed to a razor’s edge, and it feels like more than we can bear. To top it off, the speed of the information is unreal. In 2001, we had to turn on our televisions to find out what happened. In 2025, our phones bombard us with the news instantaneously. God help us!

So, today, on the 24th anniversary of 9/11, our school had an assembly. We brought our older students together to pray over them. We reminded them of the enduring promises of God: though troubled, we are not crushed; though perplexed, we are not destroyed; though persecuted, we are not abandoned. We needed them to know that when the world feels shaken by hate, the love of Christ remains unshakable. The presence of God will heal their broken hearts and comfort them when they mourn. We gave them permission to grieve and to hurt and encouraged them to seek help from trusted adults. These young men and women are brothers and sisters in Christ. We asked them to support each other and build each other up. Lastly, we admonished them to not fall into the trap of social media’s negativity and lies.

Yes, this was not the 9/11 post I thought I would be making, but the following truth hasn’t changed one bit. The cross of Christ shows us that what was meant for destruction can be transformed into redemption, as His death gave way to resurrection power. My hope is that we will not be hindered or dissuaded from proclaiming the good news of God’s love. Followers of Jesus, as earthly ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, we are called to proclaim this message of hope to a hurting world. God is greater than the evil of this world. We are called to embody compassion, extend forgiveness, and work for reconciliation. We are to shine the light of Christ into places of darkness, reminding all people that nothing—not even terror or death—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. This is the enduring hope that sustains and unites us. Let us all pray for those directly impacted by these recent, and not so recent, acts of evil. As we do so, I pray we will continue to impact the world for Christ. 

Dr. Jeremy Drake

Head of School