When I saw the title and scripture of this sermon, I wondered how my pastor was going to bring this together.
Diversity is a much talked about topic now days because of the racial tension in our communities and throughout the world.
Our scriptures this week were from Genesis 11, about the Tower of Babel, and Acts 2, which is about Pentecost.
In Genesis, God saw that the people were building a tower so they could…
“reach the heavens so we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
”But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
“So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world.”
Gen 11:4-9
Because they all spoke the same language they were able to get their own way, seek to reach God. God had given them free will. So He created diversity. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a statement and a godly process to steer humanity toward the path God had in mind. God scattered them because they needed to populate the whole earth. As long as they understood each other there was no motivation to scatter, but God made it so.
We won’t agree on everything. We’ve created diversity on our own. Political parties, segregation,
But there came a time when it was necessary for different tribes or countries to understand each other. We find this in the book of Acts at Pentecost.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to ge tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; resident of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rom (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Qrabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Acts 2:1-12
GOD PLAYS THE LONG GAME!
He reverses the curse of Babel by restoring and renewing with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What should we learn from this? That our missions should align with God’s purposes. The sweet spot with God is when our ambitions line up with His.
Lean into God and seek his wisdom.
There is unity in God’s design:
- Seek God’s guidance by praying to Him for wisdom and discernment.
- God desires unity in His people. This is what happened at Pentecost. Inclusive love is God’s will. We’re all sinners without him. Hate isn’t working. Knowing God leads to attention, which leads to affection, which leads to attention.
- The Holy Spirit is essential for unity. We can’t do this on our own abilities. God empowers us by the Holy Spirit.
HOW DO WE LIVE THIS OUT?
- Seek God’s guidance in your ambitions. If it looks like it’s from God, take time and ask God if it’s for you.
- Embrace diversity. Pray for God to give you insight into their story. Understanding helps to embrace differences.
- Pray for Holy Spirit power in your relationships.
CELEBRATE DIFFERENCES
The Holy Spirit leads us back to the proclamation of the Gospel.
Unity and diversity aren’t meant to work against each other. By bringing diversity into our unity, we create a community of love and acceptance with the Holy Spirit as our guide.
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 