Legos!
And to be clear, this not about Legoland, although that seems to have caused almost as much controversy as the Tower of Bebel.
Rather, it’s about building a tower of brinks and tar, instead of stone and mortar.
I’m not sure why that matters, maybe because stone wasn’t readily available, so they could make bricks using mud and fire. And as for using tar instead of mortar, maybe that was because mortar, which is made of sand was hard to find, but pools of the sticky gooey black stuff was floating in pools of water nearby.
In any case, the people of the time decided to band together and make a great tower, a huge tower, one that would scrap the sky as it were, and would make them world famous, so cool, as a symbol of their self-made status, totally self-reliant, the most amazing people on the planet ever, and it seems, totally oblivious to God’s presence and power.
Part of the reason they were able to do all of this, Genesis tells us, was because, oddly enough, they all spoke the same language. This is after the flood Noah floated around in, so, maybe they were all related?
In any case, the tower, built of brinks, was to be a symbol of their self-reliance. They were planning to show the world they were their own Gods, that is until the God of time and space intervened.
So…
How many of you know how to Babel?
Have any of you tried talking to a baby recently? That’s what they do, at least for a while, they babble.
Noah, our grandson, talks a lot. We just have no clue what he is saying! He likes to say Nanananana, so, my wife Sue, his Nana, likes to believe he’s talking about her.
For those of you who were here for the Mystery Dinner Theater know there is a lot to talk about.
But he also likes to shout, so who knows. He babbles, talks using sounds, shaping them in his mouth, kind of testing to see which ones get a reaction.
Do you remember which word you said first when you were a kid? Was it Momma, or Dada, or was it the all famous, NO!
Of course, at some point we will talk, most of us, anyway. And talk, and talk, and talk. We all as we grow and mature and begin to communicate with the others around us so we can get what we need, make ourselves understood, help others too.
Going beyond babbling to talking is a huge developmental change because when we can communicate, we can get things done!
As is true in the story about the Tower of Babel; a story that would have been very familiar to the folks in Jerusalem, because it is one of the big stories of the Old Testament, and would particularly have come to mind very easily after Pentecost.
Why?
Because way back in time God had separated people by languages, and now God was putting things back together!
Tons of people were in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, or the Festival of weeks, as it was known, fifty days after Passover, a celebration of the wheat harvest, and there they heard all about Jesus death and resurrection.
But, and ere’s the crazy thing, they were hearing about Jesus death and resurrection in their own native languages!
Yes, the people in Jerusalem were all Jewish. Yes, they all understood some Hebrew. But their native languages, that is the languages they spoke at home, and with their friends, and out in the places of business, were all different!
Natives from Jerusalem spoke Aramaic, a different dialect of Aramaic from the Galileans. Most business in Jesus’ times throughout the Roman Empire was conducted in Greek.
People from Rome would have spoken Latin. And the people from the area of Iran would have spoken Parthian and even other languages were possible, since Acts 2 mentions Arabia and even parts of Egypt.
So you see it was a miracle, and a miracle, and a miracle!
One, everyone, no matter their language, the one they thought in and understood in, heard the gospel in their language.
Two, the speakers were the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, able, and most importantly, willing, to share God’s amazing love with people they didn’t know, and presumed they couldn’t communicate with.
And third, the separation of people into languages God had instituted at Babble turned around, so that all could see not the amazing power of people, but the amazing power of God!
In Christ and through Christ, by God’s action, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and made able in all situations to do what God has called us to do, because God has given us what we need to do it!!
We, God’s people, are called to Make a difference, in Jesus Name!
And so, we shall.
Amen.
Yes, the people in Jerusalem were all Jewish. Yes, they all understood some Hebrew. But their native languages, that is the languages they spoke at home, and with their friends, and out in the places of business, were all different!
Natives from Jerusalem spoke Aramaic, a different dialect of Aramaic from the Galileans. Most business in Jesus’ times throughout the Roman Empire was conducted in Greek.
People from Rome would have spoken Latin. And the people from the area of Iran would have spoken Parthian and even other languages were possible, since Acts 2 mentions Arabia and even parts of Egypt.
So you see it was a miracle, and a miracle, and a miracle!
One, everyone, no matter their language, the one they thought in and understood in, heard the gospel in their language.
Two, the speakers were the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, able, and most importantly, willing, to share God’s amazing love with people they didn’t know, and presumed they couldn’t communicate with.
And third, the separation of people into languages God had instituted at Babble turned around, so that all could see not the amazing power of people, but the amazing power of God!
In Christ and through Christ, by God’s action, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and made able in all situations to do what God has called us to do, because God has given us what we need to do it!!
We, God’s people, are called to Make a difference, in Jesus Name!
And so, we shall.
Amen.
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