May 14th Reflection by Bill Lynch

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.

Reflection
How arrogant we can be? To think that we can build a human temple to God. To think that we are so great to come together and unite and build a temple in a city that will make a name for ourselves. So arrogant that God has to "come down" to see this temple that we built to heaven.

God had to come down? I thought we were so great that the temple would rise to heaven? If so, why did God need to come down? Shouldn't God be able to just step in?

So we are confused. Our speech is confused. We can't communicate with one another in the spirit of God if we believe that we can attain heaven through the work of our hands, minds and will. We can't get to heaven like this!

Something greater takes place here. Humans are stalled in their own will to be one with God. We can't become one with God through our own efforts or understanding. We can only become one with God through God. God came down in Jesus to walk in our lives and to become our sin and with that sin to die on the cross as our sin. But God didn't end in death. Jesus rose again to eternal life. A gracious gift to you to to me. A gift of God coming down. But then, after Jesus ascension into heaven, God came down once again. But this time God came down as Spirit. A Spirit that draws all flesh together as one. We are in unity with God through Jesus and the Spirit. In this coming down, God gives us one voice. A voice that is united in the coming down of God in both the flesh of Jesus and the spirit of the Holy Spirit.

It's not us or our will that unites us in Christ Jesus. It is God coming down that unites us with one voice and one heart and one spirit. What a wonderful temple God has created. Not a temple that reaches heaven, but rather a temple that reaches earth... from heaven... through Jesus... and through the Holy Spirit. It's something that only God could do. It's something that only God could imagine. It's not a temple constructed by human hands of brick and mortar and human work, it's a temple built on the Love of God for his people.

Prayer
Come, Lord Jesus come! Come, Holy Spirit, come! Thank you Father for coming to us to save us and connecting yourself with us throughout eternity. As your love connects with me may it also connect with those you give to me this day that I may be one with you through you... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen