A Devotional Message I was Particularly Pleased With

Genesis 11:1-9 – Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth.’ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, ‘Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (NRSV)

I love this story from Genesis because of how ancient it feels. Clearly, at some point, a child asked why those other people use different words from ours, and someone was pressed upon to explain. How fascinating that a tale explaining our different tongues came to include this warning about what happens when you try to become like God.

Some scholars suggest that the Pentecost story we will hear this Sunday is a reversal of this tale of the Tower of Babel. Instead of having one language confused into many, suddenly, the Holy Spirit gives the disciples the ability to speak the one gospel in many different tongues, so that everyone could understand. Jesus prayed, “that they might all be one,” and on Pentecost, it came true, if only momentarily.

There have been some reminders lately of the progress we’re making on bringing unity back to humanity. In the same week, the New York Times reported on two very different measurements. The town of Philadelphia, Mississippi, where three civil rights workers were brutally murdered in the 60s, has elected its first black mayor. All those interviewed sounded pretty proud of their city. On the other hand, Montgomery County, Georgia, is still holding segregated proms. Some students were frustrated at not being able to celebrate with their friends, but others simply placed the blame on “tradition.”

How do we explain such continuing reminders of our brokenness to our children when they ask? What do we tell them about how God sees these situations? Christ Jesus came to us, not simply to reconcile us to God, but to reconcile us to one another. What can we do to open channels for the Holy Spirit to do its unifying ministry?

Collect for the Week: God of the ages, One-in-Three and Three-in-One, who poured forth your Spirit that the gospel witness might be shared to the ends of the earth, grant that we might prepare our hearts to receive your Holy Spirit, that we might be transformed and made one in the Body of Christ. Through Jesus our Lord and the Holy Spirit, Amen.