Rochester, MN UCC - "The Gift of the Holy Spirit" - Acts 2:1-21

The Tower of Babel tells the story of the peoples of the earth coming together to build a fantastic tower that would reach the heavens. This bold effort is presented as an act of hubris; the people of earth are refusing their limitations and seeking to reach the realm of God on their own. In the story, God frustrates the people's efforts by introducing multiple languages, dividing the people into mutually unintelligible language groups. From this point forward, the people of the earth are divided by language and ethnicity, competing against one another for the resources they need to live and thrive. 

 In many ways the confused and divided world after the collapse of the Tower of Babel reflects the world in which we live today. We are divided from one another; by language, ethnicity, nationality, status, and gender. We compete against other nations and peoples, seeking our own good before the good of others. We prioritize the good of our people, those who speak like us and look like us, over the good of humanity and God’s creation. 

 But this division and competition are not the only ways to live. On the day of Pentecost, God the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the people of Jerusalem. The gift of God’s presence within each believer that morning overcame the powers of division and confusion unleashed at Babel. A new creation was formed, one in which the Holy Spirit empowers us to understand, to serve, and to love across all the differences that divide us. This new creation of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, is the church. Unlike the disaster of Babel, the new creation of the church is centered not upon the pride of humanity, but on the grace of God. The Holy Spirit helps us to know ourselves as forgiven sinners, as beloved children of God and empowers us to see others, regardless of our differences as the same. This Pentecost Sunday, let us celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the new creation of the Church. Let us remember that we have been called and empowered to love and serve one another across all the categories that would otherwise divide us! Amen. 

 Rev. Andrew Greenhaw