The New Babel; Same As The Old Babel

Revelation 18:1-8

One of the turning points in the book of Genesis comes with the story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). This was an attempt to reach the heavens and so to supplant the Creator. God took notice of these events, of course, and confused the languages of the various peoples so that they could no longer communicate effectively. In the end the tower was abandoned.

Our reading from Revelation today speaks of another tower of sorts, one by which human beings have sought to replace the will of God in their lives. “Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities’” (Revelation 18:4-5). Though this tower is built of sin and not of stone, it nonetheless reaches to heaven, and again God has taken notice. This time the result will not be a confusion of language, but a complete reordering of creation with a new reality, a new Jerusalem adorned as a bride for her husband.

I can think of other structures that humanity has established over the centuries: we have stacked our idols high; we have accumulated acts of violence, one person against another; on a massive foundation of self-interest we have erected cathedrals of apathy and disregard. These are our own Towers of Babel, these are our own monuments to ourselves. It is only by God’s grace that we do not find ourselves cast aside and left to our sinful intentions. Instead we await the new Jerusalem, the fulfillment of God’s coming reign when the only structures will be formed of the grace, mercy, and love of our God.

Prayer: Lord, forgive our sinful nature and our stubborn refusal to follow you. Help us to build true community in this life as we look forward to the coming of your reign. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Language of God

Zephaniah 3:8-13
“What are words for, when no one listens anymore?” Those lyrics, from an ‘80’s pop song, seem apt in light of today’s passage from Zephaniah. Our world is full of words, most of which are dubious: marketing, politics, gossip, hate speech, crudeness, angry rhetoric, which flood our lives from all directions. We can’t possibly take them all in, and yet they do so much damage. Mercifully the prophet envisions a day when human language will be changed into something different.

“At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9). Frankly, the implications of this verse are a little overwhelming. For one thing it was God who first divided human speech at Babel (Genesis 11:7-9). Now God promises to reunite humanity in a common tongue, one that is pure and suitable for praising God. This “pure speech” echoes the work of God in many ways. Creation was brought into being by God’s speech, by God’s word covenants were made, prophets were called, and the law was established. Ultimately, according to John’s gospel, the Word of God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14), and on Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave power to the apostles to speak in a way that the world could understand (Acts 2) and the church was born.

Today there are whispers of God’s word that can be found, the “pure speech” that the prophet foretold. It is heard when God is truly praised, when lives are truly enriched, when the Spirit makes plain some aspect of God’s will. Those of us who dare to preach strive to find bits of pure speech to share, and on occasion I’m sure we get close, but not always. The church mediates the sacraments as reminders of God’s word, but even here we fall short. The world’s harsh syllables still creep under the doors and compete for our attention. And all of us, without exception, are drawn away from God’s will at some time or other.

What limitless joy we will experience when our language is made pure and the world offers its praise to God. In the mean time (and perhaps the word “mean” is very appropriate here) we must do our best to resist the cacophony that the world offers and seek ways to listen for God’s pure tone, that we may learn what it means to speak in a way that really makes a difference.

Prayer: God, give us the words to say that we may serve you and the strength to resist the harsh divisiveness all around us. In the name of the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. Amen.