SCRIPTURE: Genesis 11:1-9, Romans 8:14-17 & Acts 2:1-21
I WONDER IF GOD EVER LOOKS IN ON THE DIVISIONS OF THE WORLD AND CURSES HIMSELF OUT FOR THE MISTAKE MADE AT BABEL?
GOD WAS JUST GETTING USED TO THIS HUMAN CREATURE “THING” HE HAD CREATED, AND WE ALL KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING IMMATURE BEINGS CAN BE—LIKE A PUPPY WHO THINKS YOU’RE PLAYING WHEN YOU’RE REPRIMANDING OR A BABY WHO STARTS WALKING AND GETTING INTO EVERYTHING! WITHOUT EVEN TALKING TO THE CREATURE, GOD INTERVENED TO CORRECT THEIR INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, TUMBLING THE TOWER AND TAKING AWAY THEIR ABILITY TO TALK TO ONE ANOTHER THROUGH DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. WHAT A MISTAKE TO MAKE HUMAN BEINGS UNABLE TO TALK TO ONE ANOTHER! ISN’T IT THE INABILITY TO COMMUNICATE THAT IS CLEARLY ONE OF THE WORST PROBLEMS OF CONTEMPORARY LIFE?
JUST THINK HOW MUCH EASIER OUR HUMAN EXISTENCE WOULD BE IF WE ALL SPOKE THE SAME LANGUAGE! EVERY TIME I GO TO NICARAGUA I BECOME MORE AND MORE CONSCIOUS OF HOW DIVISIVE IT IS FOR ME TO NOT KNOW THE SPANISH LANGUAGE. YES, THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COMMUNICATION THAT HAPPENS WITHOUT LANGUAGE. I WORK WELL ENOUGH WITH THE NICARAGUAN PEOPLE TO BUILD WONDERFUL HOUSES. THEY LEARN MINIMAL ENGLISH WORDS AND I KNOW JUST A FEW SPANISH PHRASES BUT I NEVER LEARN THE DEPTH OF WHO THEY ARE. THEY NEVER KNOW WHAT REALLY MAKES ME TICK.
WE CAN’T EVEN PRAY TOGETHER AND KNOW WHAT IS BEING SAID.
I KNOW WE ALL LOVE GOD AND I CAN CATCH A “JESUS CHRISTO” WHEN IT COMES UP, BUT I ALWAYS COME HOME AWARE OF THAT WHICH SEPARATES US AS WELL AS BEING GRATEFUL FOR THE HUMANITY THAT WILL ALWAYS CONNECT US IN A UNIVERSAL WAY.
AT ANY RATE, I HAVE A HARD TIME NOT THINKING THAT GOD MADE A MISTAKE AT BABEL, WHICH STANDS IN DIRECT ODDS WITH MY UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S DIVINE PERFECTION. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR GOD TO MAKE A MISTAKE?
ACTUALLY, I DON’T REALLY HAVE AN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION, BUT I DO HAVE A THOUGHT ABOUT GOD BEING ABLE TO GROW IN UNDERSTANDING.
MY HOMEGROWN THEOLOGY HAS COME TO ME OVER THE YEARS AS I HAVE COME TO SEE THE BIBLICAL STORY AS ONE WHOLE PIECE FROM GENESIS TO THE REVELATION OF JOHN. AND IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO ME THAT THE BIBLICAL STORY DETAILS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND GOD’S CREATION – HUMAN BEINGS.
ACTUALLY, IT’S KIND OF LIKE A MARRIAGE. THE FIRST YEARS CAN BE RATHER TUMULTUOUS AS YOU LEARN TO LIVE WITH ONE ANOTHER. THERE ARE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ON ALL SIDES – PLENTY OF SPATS AND DISAGREEMENTS. THEN SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE YOU EITHER LEARN TO LOVE EACH OTHER WITHOUT INAPPROPRIATE EXPECTATIONS, OR YOU GO YOUR SEPARATE WAYS, OR YOU CONTINUE TO LIVE TOGETHER WITH LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OR CONNECTION.
SO THE STORY IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE SEEMS TO ME TO BE THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BOTH PARTIES GROW IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF ONE ANOTHER, AND LIFE CONTINUES ON IN AN ENHANCED MANNER. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF JESUS AS THE GIFT OF GOD LOVING HUMAN BEINGS ENOUGH TO WANT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BE INCARNATED OR EMBODIED, IF YOU WILL. SO GOD COMES TO EARTH IN THE EMBODIMENT OF JESUS LONG ENOUGH TO GROW DEEPLY IN HIS COMPASSION FOR THE HUMAN CONDITION. I HAVE TO BELIEVE GOD, AFTER HAVING PUT ON HUMAN SKIN, NO LONGER GROWS ANGRY AND IMPATIENT WITH HIS CREATION.
I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THE GIFT OF JESUS ON THE CROSS IS GOD’S APOLOGY FOR HOW DIFFICULT THE HUMAN CONDITION IS. I HAVE TO BELIEVE GOD GROWS IN A DIVINE AND PERFECT WAY, SEEKING TO BE EVER CLOSER TO US, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST. AND LIKE ANY REALLY GOOD LOVER GOD LEARNS FROM THE MISTAKES THAT ARE MADE RATHER THAN PULLING AWAY IN DESPAIR.
I FEEL THE RELATIONSHIP THE DIVINE HAS WITH US AS A CIRCULAR MOTION THAT CONSTANTLY MOVES US ALL FORWARD. AND I BELIEVE THE PENTECOST STORY IS THE FULL CIRCLE OF THE CIRCULAR MOTION THAT MOVES HUMANITY FORWARD FROM THE POSSIBLE MISTAKE OF THE TOWER OF BABEL.
THE LANGUAGES ARE WHAT SEPARATED US AT THE BEGINNING AND NOW, ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST THE LANGUAGES ARE A SIGN AND A SYMBOL OF OUR UNITY. THERE IS CLEARLY SOME SORT OF MOVEMENT, BUT WHAT DOES THE MOVEMENT MEAN? HOW DID WE GET THERE?
ON THAT FIRST DAY OF PENTECOST GOD WAS SEEKING TO EMPOWER THE DISCIPLES TO GO INTO THE WORLD WITH THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST.
NOTICE WHAT A STRIKING DIFFERENCE THIS IS TO THE WAY GOD SOUGHT TO TAKE AWAY THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE AT THE TOWER OF BABEL.
AND THEN IT STRUCK ME. GOD DIDN’T MAKE A MISTAKE AT BABEL.
RATHER, GOD MADE A POINT THAT DOESN’T GET COMPLETELY CONCEIVED UNTIL THE FIRST DAY OF PENTECOST.
YOU SEE, WHEN WE LOOK BACK AT THE PEOPLE OF BABEL WE CAN SEE THAT THEY WERE STRIVING FOR A POWER THAT WAS BENEFICIAL ONLY TO THEM—IT WAS A SELF-SERVING POWER OF GREAT MAGNITUDE. THEY WANTED TO BECOME LIKE GOD. THEY WANTED TO BUILD A TOWER THAT WOULD REMOVE THEM FROM THE WHOLE OF CREATION AND SET THEM APART. THEIR UNITY HAD MADE THEM FULL OF THEMSELVES, WITHOUT RECOGNITION THAT A UNITY OF DIVERSITY IS WHAT GOD MEANT TO CREATE IN THE BEGINNING!
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT THE FIRST PENTECOSTAL CELEBRATION WE CAN SEE THAT THE POWER COMES FROM A DIVERSITY THAT IS UNITED.
THE DISCIPLES SPEAK MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ON THAT DAY, BUT THE SPOKEN LANGUAGES ARE A TOOL SO THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE MESSAGE—MORE PEOPLE WILL BE GATHERED INTO THE WHOLENESS GOD LONGS FOR.
REMEMBER IN THE STORY HOW THE BYSTANDERS THOUGHT THE DISCIPLES WERE DRUNK ON CHEAP WINE BECAUSE THEY ALL BEGAN SPEAKING IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES? “THEY COULDN’T FOR THE LIFE OF THEM FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND KEPT SAYING, ‘AREN’T THESE ALL GALILEANS? HOW COME WE’RE HEARING THEM TALK IN OUR VARIOUS MOTHER TONGUES?’”
WELL, THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS SIMPLE. THE MESSAGE OF THE LOVE AND GRACE AND OPENNESS OF JESUS CHRIST IS A UNIVERSAL MESSAGE, IT IS MEANT TO BE TOLD TO THE WHOLE OF CREATION AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE. AND GOD STAKED HIS CLAIM ON HIS INTENTION FOR DIVERSITY FROM THE BEGINNING. AT THE TOWER OF BABEL GOD WAS MAKING A DECISIVE MOVE ON BEHALF OF DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCE. AND THE SPIRIT’S ACTION ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST AFFIRMED WHAT GOD DESIRES FOR US. WE’VE COME FULL CIRCLE AND I AM REMINDED OF THAT GREAT LITTLE POEM BY EDWARD MARKHAM:
HE DREW A CIRCLE THAT SHUT ME OUT HERETIC, REBEL, A THING TO FLOUT.
BUT LOVE AND I HAD A WIT TO WINWE DREW A CIRCLE THAT TOOK HIM IN.
HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED HOW VERY DIFFICULT HONEST CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS? WHEN WE BELONG TOGETHER IN ONE CHURCH FAMILY WE CAN EITHER BE LIKE THE FOLKS AT THE TOWER OF BABEL OR WE CAN BE LIKE THE DISCIPLES AT PENTECOST. WE CAN EITHER BE DIVIDED BY OUR LANGUAGE OR WE CAN UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER BETTER THROUGH THE LANGUAGES. I THINK AN OFTEN UNTENDED REALITY OF OUR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS THAT WE ALL TEND TO SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
IN SOME CASES WE SPEAK ACTUAL DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. BUT EVEN IN CONGREGATIONS WHERE WE ALL SPEAK ENGLISH, WE STILL SEEM TO SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
ONE SPEAKS CONSERVATIVE WHILE ANOTHER SPEAKS LIBERAL. SOME PERSON SPEAKS JUSTICE AND SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT SPEAK MISSION.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SPEAK DISCIPLINE AND LAW, BUT JUST ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT SPEAK FREEDOM AND GRACE. I THINK YOU GET MY POINT.
THERE IS NO WAY TO BE AN AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WITHOUT EVERYONE COMING TO THE COMMUNITY WITH A SENSE OF INDIVIDUALISM. OUR AMERICAN TRADITION TEACHES US TO VALUE THE INDIVIDUAL STRENGTHS OF A PERSON WHILE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEMANDS THAT WE BRING THESE STRENGTHS TOGETHER, NOT ONLY IN A PEACEFUL AND LOVING WAY, BUT ALSO IN A WAY THAT THE STRENGTH OF ONE WILL BUILD UP THE STRENGTH OF ANOTHER. AND RIGHT FROM THE TOWER OF BABEL TO THIS VERY DAY GOD SHOWS US THAT EXPERIENCING THE DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCES OF OUR HUMANITY IS THE ONLY FAITHFUL WAY TO CELEBRATE OUR ONENESS WITH GOD.
YOU SEE, EVEN THOUGH WE TEND TO SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN OUR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES, WE ALSO SHARE A UNITY THAT CAN NEVER BE TAKEN AWAY FROM US. WE ALL HAVE FAITH IN A LOVING GOD. WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. AND THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS WE KNOW THERE IS A TRANSCENDENT POWER ALIVE AND WELL, WORKING IN OUR WORLD.
IN THE NEW INTERPRETER’S BIBLE TERENCE FRETHEIM SAYS, “DIFFICULTIES IN COMMUNICATION CAN OFTEN LEAD TO DIFFICULTIES IN RELATIONSHIPS, BUT THIS USUALLY INVOLVES THE FAILING OF PEOPLE WHO SEEK TO COMMUNICATE RATHER THAN THE REALITY OF DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE AS SUCH.” PENTECOST WAS THE BIRTHING OF THE CHURCH AND THE BIRTHING OF OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT DIFFERENCES DO NOT KEEP US APART.
WE KEEP OURSELVES APART.
THE CHURCH – THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY – IS ALL ABOUT BEING WITH ONE ANOTHER, TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, AND STAYING WITH ONE ANOTHER UNTIL THE DIFFERENCES ARE TRANSCENDED.
WHEN PEOPLE TELL ME WE CAN BE GOOD CHRISTIANS BY SITTING AT HOME AND READING THE NEW YORK TIMES ON A SUNDAY MORNING I HAVE TO TAKE EXCEPTION. CHRISTIANITY IS ALL ABOUT MIXING IT UP. CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. GOD DIDN’T COMMUNICATE AT ALL IN THE GENESIS ACCOUNT, BUT BY THE TIME WE MADE IT TO PENTECOST GOD HAD SPOKEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN JESUS THE CHRIST. GOD GREW MORE INTIMATE WITH HUMANITY IN CHRIST. THEREFORE, IT STANDS TO REASON THAT A PERSON SIMPLY CANNOT BE A WHOLE CHRISTIAN WITHOUT ACTING UPON HIS/HER FAITH THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL OF GOD’S CREATION. AND AS WE LEARN FROM THE FULL CIRCLE AFFECT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE PASSAGES, GOD INTENDED DIVERSITY FOR THE WORLD AND GOD INTENDED UNITY.
THERE IS NO THEOLOGICAL CONCEPT I AM FONDER OF AND MORE INFORMED BY THAN THE IDEA OF A DIVERSE UNITY, A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE WHILE LOVING AND RESPECTING ONE ANOTHER ALWAYS.
THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST AS WE CELEBRATE OUR BIRTHDAY TODAY. AND FOR OUR CHURCH COMMUNITY WE GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE!
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
Posted by sachauncey at May 30, 2004 02:22 AM