How long do you need to commemorate?

A few weeks back, September 11 fell on a Sunday.

I had no idea.

I heard nothing mentioned in church.

The potential significance of this date didn’t even occur to me until my wife mentioned something on the way home.

She thought that something should have been mentioned. At least in passing.

I thought it was perfectly acceptable that the date went past without acknowledgment.

Why?

Because you don’t have to be shackled to the past.

Sure, if I was in America or there was a significant connection between the congregation and 9/11, then it should definitely be a factor within the service.

But in Australia…

21 years later…

I’m perfectly fine with it not being mentioned.

Because, with the passing of time, every date has an event attached with it.

The sinking of the Titanic… April 14.

The ending of apartheid in South Africa… May 4.

The sacking of Rome…August 24.

On the day I write this - September 29 - The Greeks defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis.

If they got mentioned during a church service… it would be interesting… but not something that I’d expect.

Surely, with the passing of time, modern events need to eventually fall into this skippable category as well.