Friends,
Thanks to everyone who joined in on the fun this week! Here you can find a link to download the audio (above), links to watch the video or download the slides, a brief recap, our art of the week, and a look toward next week.
Resources
Recap
The thing that really struck me this time around with the Tower of Babel story was the shape of the story. Humans trying to make a name for themselves, trying to build themselves up, trying to create their own security and meaning in life. And then God comes down and judges and thwarts their efforts.
It is such a common story in the Bible - isn’t that basically the story of Adam and Eve, or the story of Cain, or the story of everyone but Noah in the days of the flood? It’s also the story of Pharoah in his struggle against Moses, of Jezebel in her promotion of the worship of Baal, and it’s the whole story of unfaithful Israel in the Old Testament.
In the New Testament it’s also the story of the scribes and Pharisees (and sometimes Jesus’s confused disciples!) in the gospels. It’s Herod and Pilate. The super-apostles in Paul’s writings to Corinth and the foolish Galatians in Paul’s letter to them. Ultimately it’s the story of the Genesis serpent who grows up into the Revelation Dragon. They are all trying to build something, but they’re trying to build it for them, and they’re trying to build it without God.
Of course there’s another Big Story in the Bible, but it has a very different shape. It’s the story of the humbled and the humble. It’s the story of the people who know they need God. And it’s the story of God stooping down to them to lift them up. It’s the story of Abel’s sacrifice, Noah’s obedience, Abraham’s faithfulness, Moses’s humility, David’s heart, and it’s the story of all the true prophets. It’s the story of all of faithful Israel in the Old Testament, and the faithful church in the New Testament. It’s the story of Jesus, where God’s Son himself humbles himself, makes himself a servant, and dies a criminal’s death just so he can lift us up. It is the story of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who conquers the world by being the slain Lamb of God.
But the point is this: either of these stories can be your story. Are you proud or humble? Are you trying to be first or last? Are you trying to save yourself or are you trusting God? Are you living to make a name for yourself, or are you living to make a name for Jesus? Jesus says that the one who tries to save their life will lose it, but that whoever loses their life for Jesus and for the gospel will save it. Either of these stories can be yours. Either of these stories can be my story too.
The truth is most of us have a little bit of Babel in us. God knows I do.
God, cure us all of our Babelite tendencies, and replace them with Christ. Amen.
Art
For Next Week
Next week MUMC church member Nancy Dawson will share some of her work on Biblical genealogies and share some insights specifically on the genealogies in Genesis 1-11. She is a real resource on this topic - she’s currently putting the finishing touches on a major book project to be published by Zondervan in the next year or so. It will be really the definitive book on Biblical genealogies.
I do not say this lightly: there might be no one currently living in the world that has spent as much time thinking about this than Nancy Dawson. And she is going to share it with us. I am super excited. If you aren’t excited, I encourage you to come anyways. I think Nancy will have you excited by the end of it!!
As you look forward to next week, take a look back through Genesis 1-11 at some of the genealogies. Maybe look especially at Genesis 4-5 and 10-11. Ponder this: why is this stuff scripture? What function does it serve?
Can’t wait to see you all next week!
In Christ,
Pastor Cabe
