From: "Fr John W Fenton (by way of Rev. Eric J. Stefanski, )" To: Subject: HP: National Day of Prayer sermon Date: Thursday, November 01, 2001 12:56 PM NOTE: This sermon was preached at the National Day of Prayer service held at Zion Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Detroit. Prior to the sermon, 1 Peter 3.8-22 was read. NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER Dearly Beloved: As we gather to pray for the victims, families, rescue workers, and national leaders, let us not forget that we are praying to the Lord God who says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” As we gather to remember the dead, let us not forget Our Lord God. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Man certainly can do much to cause us to fear, and grieve, and lose heart. And with the devil at his side, and other evil men cheering him on, man can lead us to question God’s goodness—to believe that for part of one awful morning, God lost control or looked the other way. But we are gathered for prayer and remembrance because we believe Our Lord God always gets His way; that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father’s will—and we are certainly of more value than many sparrows=