The Bible tells stories of the patriarchs who are told by God to build an altar, or a memorial, on a site to remember what happened there. This week has been filled with news about the 9/11 Memorial that just opened on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. Many of us will not be able to travel to New York to visit this museum. However, if you are close to Oklahoma City, the memorial built on the site of the Murray Federal Building, which was destroyed by a bomber in 1995, will help you to experience the gravity of the destruction. (While you are there, visit the National Cowboy Museum.)

In “Choosing Life,” I mention that George and I traveled all over the west. We visited the memorial. There is a shallow pool between two massive columns. On one column is the time 9:01am and on the other column is the time 9:02am, remembering the time of the bombing. On the hillside next to the pool are 168 chairs, one for each of the people who died there. The chairs are in rows which signify the floor on which the people died. The heartbreak are the small chairs for the children.

Across the street from the memorial is a church. On the corner is a statue of Jesus with his back toward the memorial. His head is bowed and His hand covers his face. On the base of the statue is an inscription: Jesus Wept. We have to remember.