Day of Pentecost
June 8, 2025
Joint service with Bethlehem, Fairport
Note: this is only the first part of the sermon, which I gave. The second and third parts of the sermon were offered by my colleagues at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Fairport.
Based on Genesis 11, Tower of Babel
A loooong time ago, before time even existed, God had this great idea: to create a diverse universe, with planets and stars and sunshine and rivers and trees and animals… and, with humans. That was God’s favorite part of all – humankind, made in God’s own image. God had this beautiful hope that these humans would spread across the whole wide world, filling it up, each showing a different aspect of God’s image. Humans over on that side of the world might make one kind of art, and humans over there would sing in a really special way, and these humans would interact with God one way, and those in another way, and when taken all together, this diverse humankind would reflect God’s own image.
One day, the humans figured out how to make bricks out of mud. Then they used tar to pile and hold them together to create walls. And those walls could become buildings – tall buildings that made them feel very safe and powerful! And so, they built. They built up and up and up…
…and consequently, they stayed put. Just like that, God’s idea that the humans would spread far and wide to better reflect the vastness and complexity of God’s image was brought to a screeching halt.
Well, the humans were clever… but God was cleverer, and knew just how to solve the problem. God mixed up their language! So when they came back the next day to keep building, they found that they could no longer understand each other! Sure enough, once they could no longer understand each other, the humans started drifting away. They filled the whole earth, and many diverse communities arose…
The Tower of Babel is often framed as punishment for people’s pride. And maybe it is, but stories seldom mean only one thing, and so I wonder if another issue God is dealing with in this story is that the people want uniformity, and God instead pushes them toward diversity. Because uniformity gets us nowhere, leaves us stuck; but diversity is what causes us to grow, and what brings richness to our lives!
I mean, look around – our God is a God who values and celebrates diversity! Just look at the variety of butterflies, ice cream flavors, and smells in the world. Look at the creative minds that have given us everything from indoor plumbing to the Sistine Chapel, from Pride and Prejudice to space travel.
The diversity attributed to Babel is not a penalty – it is what allows people to see that God is much vaster than a single mind, language, or culture can grasp. And this is a very good thing! It keeps us humble, for one thing, and also reminds us just how mysterious our God is. God cannot be contained by a single viewpoint. Variety of language and culture is not a problem to be solved. Diversity is not a penalty; it is a value.
Unless… unless we allow it to divide our communities. We’re all too familiar with this reality! Just like those who were building the Silo of Babel, a place where they could remain static and relish in their sameness, we still find ourselves drawn toward expecting others to be, think and act like us, at least in the ways we deem most important. Even churches and other communities that imagine themselves to be “accepting and welcoming of all!” too often mean, “We accept and welcome everyone… except for those who aren’t as open-minded as we are!” I have a friend who says of himself, “I’m not a bigot, except about people who are bigoted!” I appreciate his self-awareness!
So is there a way to be a diverse community that reflects the vastness and mystery of God… while also working together toward the goals of God’s kingdom?
Enter the Holy Spirit on that Day of Pentecost….
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