7/16/13- The Problem of Oneness for Humans

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lordsaid, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. (Genesis 11:1-8)

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontusand Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:4-12)

Thoughts: We are a broken people.  We are broken from each other, broken from ourselves, and broken from God.  We seek to build out of pride, but our artificial imitation of the real Creator falls short, and we are left to go our own way alone.
     When we try to build our own world without God the Creator, in the end it is impossible.  We are divided from each other, from God and even ourselves.  The broken families in the West (51% of all marriages in America) stand as witnesses to this.  But at When the Spirit of God comes (as at Pentecost)  the Healer- brings unification and peace between us and God, us and each other, and peace (shalom) within.
    We cannot artificially, politically, or organizationally manufacture or really replicate the unity that comes when the Holy Spirit is at work.  When the Holy Spirit brings unity- it is like anointing oil flowing down (Psalm 133), making the rough smooth and the disunited linked.  As oil on a beard straightens and smooths- making what was itchy and irritating comfortable- so the Holy Spirit straightens us out and makes our way smooth and easy.
     The real point is- we all want to seek the blessing of God.  We want to coexist.  We want to get along.  We want to have peace within and without.  We know that is the way things ought to be.  We do (and frankly should) all we can to get along and to make life be all it is intended to be.  But in the end, the real blessing of God comes not from within or by artificial cooperation, but by the Holy Spirit.  It is His blessing we should seek above all other blessings.  Real oneness comes from the One God who unites us around Himself.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, bring unity; bring wholeness; bring peace.