“A Matter of When, A Matter of Why” – Sermon May 19, 2013
May 19, 2013
Scriptures:
Genesis 11: 1-9 – Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”
So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
John 14:8-17, 25-27 – Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
Acts 2: 1-18 – When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? People from countries far and wide, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”
All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “People of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
Sermon: A Matter of When, A Matter of Why Rev. Doreen Oughton
What an easy day to be a preacher, for the scriptures tell the story so beautifully that I really don’t have much to say about them. Truly. First there is the reading from Genesis, the story of the ancient people who stopped in their migration to build themselves a city, and in that city, a tower with its top in the heavens. God sees this and realizes that as they are one people, speaking one word, nothing is impossible for them. And then we have Jesus in his farewell discourse, having told his disciples to become one, and in doing so, that they would be able to do all the works he has done and more. Nothing is impossible for those who are one in God, who are one in him, and made one by the power of the Holy Spirit. And then we have the great story of the in-breaking of that Holy Spirit that fulfills not only the promises Jesus made, but the prophecies of Joel that God’s Spirit will be poured out upon all, enabling young and old, male and female, slave and free to see visions, dream dreams and prophesy themselves.
Taken alone, the reading from Genesis is puzzling. God seems like an arrogant tycoon scattering those who might try to share in the power and glory. God acknowledges that they are capable of anything, and God doesn’t like it. And yet Jesus spends much of his time trying to convince people of the truth of their power, of how they can be like him, like God, when they become one. And we know that Jesus has been sent by God with this message of love and mercy and empowerment. So what changed for God? What made it acceptable for God’s people to be reminded of who and what they really are, and what they can do?
One answer to that can be found right in the scriptures (so helpful!). The Genesis story tells how the people were in the process of migrating and decided to stop and build a city. These were the remnants of people after the great flood, and they were to go out and fill the earth. They were not all supposed to stop and settle. They were afraid for themselves. They knew what they were called to do, but didn’t want to do it. It seems like they did not trust God and God’s plan. Also, we are told that in building the tower they sought a name for themselves. They wanted to make an impression, and I have to wonder, on who. Did they hope other people would venture into the city, be struck with awe by the tower and go out to gather more people to come settle in the city? Did they hope to inspire other clans to stop and build cities and towers? Or did they hope to make an impression upon God – “Look, see what we can do! We are not sheep or puppets to be trifled with!” I don’t know. But they certainly did make an impression on God. And yet it seems, in light of Jesus and his mission, that God didn’t want to stop them, but just slow them down.
Because Jesus pushes and pushes and pushes people to know their power and to use it, and to use it in service to God and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The people were not ready before. They might have figured out the power they had, but did not know what it was for or how to use it. They were still fearful and used it to protect themselves, to build a name for themselves. They didn’t know it was not meant to be used in service to their egos or their fears, but in service to the whole, to the One.
And don’t we understand that, as adults, as teachers, as parents? Don’t we know that our children are beautiful and strong and brave and powerful, and that they don’t really know what to do with all those gifts? Don’t we try to help them temper their egos, learn to think of others, be gentle with smaller people and animals, take care of and share their belongings? And then, when they have matured, don’t we want to set them free and look with awe and wonder as they spread their wings and venture out into the world. God’s scattering of the people was not an act of condemnation, not punishment for their disobedience and arrogance, but a way of taking the matches out of the hands of a child. The fire isn’t bad, it’s just too powerful for one who doesn’t know how to use it.
But we went and assumed that matches were bad, that we should never get them, that we should never understand our power, our true divine nature. But Jesus came and reminded us, and encouraged us, and taught us how to strike that match, build a fire that is used for the benefit of all rather than for the destruction of some.
In recovery programs, much is made of the will. Step 3 invites a person to turn their will and their lives over to God. A strong will can be dangerous, and the saying “self-will run riot” describes someone who strongly pursues his or her own agenda. And yet, the program philosophy acknowledges that it takes a strong will to pursue recovery. There is a parable-type story that says if you set a bunch of sheep loose in the yard, they won’t do much damage. If you set a couple of Clydesdale horses loose you will have a huge mess, but if you harness and tether those Clydesdales, you can literally move mountains. It is good to be strong, it is good to be creative, it is good to know how to build a tower to the heavens. But it is best when we stop and ask ourselves why we are doing something. Is our power serving our fears or serving God? Are we looking out only for our own interests, or for others also? Are we seeking to be tethered to others, and thus increase our power in service to God and God’s vision? May we live in God and God in us as we join as one to dream dreams, see visions, build towers and move mountains. Amen.
