+ Pentecost Sunday – June 9, 2019 +
Beautiful Savior Lutheran, Milton
Series C: Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:23-31
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
There’s an old saying that goes like this: “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”
And while there’s wisdom in those words, it’s not always true is it? History, especially Old Testament history, is full of people repeating the same mistakes over, and over, and over again.
Adam and Eve rebelled against God and fell in sin. Cain rebelled against God by murdering his brother. From Adam to Noah, generation after generation, they all rebelled against God. And after the flood, did God’s people learn from history? No. They built their city of rebellion on bricks, mortar, and pride.
“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
You see the pattern? Story after story, the opening chapters of Genesis is one of rebellion and separation. Humanity separates from God in sin. Humanity separates from each other in sin.
In fact, if you want to know what sinful humanity does, just look at Genesis 11. let us make a name for ourselves. Up until this point in Genesis, names are given, not made for yourself. God named Adam. Adam named Eve. Adam named the animals.
A name, like God’s grace is given, not taken. It is received as gift, not earned. But like the architects of Babel, sin turns us inward on ourselves. Makes us prideful. Arrogant. Usurpers of God’s gifts. Everything’s about us. My kingdom come. My will be done. My body, my choice. And so on. Like the confused people of Babel, we’re constantly reaching up to God, building our ladders to impress him and look down on our neighbor.
The irony of all this, of course, is that while built the tower up, up, up, and away…it wasn’t high enough. God still had to come down. The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do.
Same is true of us. We come to God, not by our own reason or strength. God comes down to us.
At Babel, God came down. In an act of gracious forbearance, God unbuilt their rebellious unity. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confusedthe language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
So what’s all this have to do with Pentecost? Everything. Genesis 11 is the Old Testament background for the New Testament Pentecost. With Babel in the background, we have a fuller, more complete picture of what happens at Pentecost. Pentecost is the complete, total, gracious reversal of everything that happened at Babel.
At Babel everyone gathered together for an evil purpose – to make a name for themselves. Eventually, their worst fears come true. There was confusion. Division. Disunity. And finally, dispersion.
At Pentecost, God’s people were gathered together in Jerusalem to remember the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai. While they were gathered to celebrate the giving of the Law, God sent His Holy Spirit to point the hearts and minds of all to the Good News of the keeping of the Law in Jesus. In his life, death, and resurrection, the Law is completed. Fulfilled. Accomplished.
Pentecost is Babel reversed. The curse of Babel is undone. We who were separated from God by sin are reunited, redeemed, and rescued by His Son crucified and risen. We don’t need to build ladders to God. Jesus comes down to us. And the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son comes to each of you, gives you the greatest of all names: baptized child of God.
Where there was division of languages at Babel, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit so that each one was hearing the Gospel in his own language.
Where there was disunity at Babel, God sends his Holy Spirit at Pentecost to deliver us into the embrace of Jesus crucified and risen for us.
Where there was separation from God at Babel, Pentecost declares the Good News that we are united to God, not by our own reason or strength, but in the cross of Jesus.
Where there was confusion at Babel, God pours out His Holy Spirit at Pentecost so that we receive the same promise Jesus gave his disciples: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Where the people of Babel wanted to make a name for themselves, Peter proclaims…whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Where the people of Babel tried to make a tower to climb up to God, The Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost to give us faith and point us to Jesus who came down to the manger and the cross to save us. And who still comes down to us in his Word, water, body and blood.
A blessed Pentecost Sunday to each of you…
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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