Skip to main content

God, Me and You



So much of the way we think and live has to do with what we believe.  What DO we believe about God?   What DO we believe about ourselves?  And what DO we believe about others. It seems these questions are not in anyway new to humanity.  From the very beginning, we've struggled
to understand who God is and why our world is the way that it is.
I would suggest that our actions come from what we believe to be true.  It comes down to how we view the world and our place in the world. 

There's this story in the Old Testament found in Genesis 11 that speaks to this very thing.  

The way people saw the world and themselves.  

Their actions spoke to what they believed.  

I had the chance to unpack this odd, but telling story of the Tower of Babel.  (There's lots to process from just nine verses.)  

As I prepared to preach, I kept wondering what was underneath their actions.  What did this group of people believe to be true about God, themselves and others?  

Maybe some of my thoughts will stir something in you. 





In many ways, their story resembles our own.

Language unified them. Their shared language held them together and moved them toward action.  

Their construction plans revealed their hearts. 

Cities were built to provide strength, stability and security.  Cities were often surrounded by walls to keep outsiders -- out. 

Towers or ziggurats were like pyramid shaped structures believed to provide a stairway for the gods.  

Their massive building project revealed their misunderstandings and misguided actions. 

What does God do? 

God saves them from themselves.  He gets their attention and redirects their focus.  And scatters them so they can fulfill their role as God's representatives. 


The Tower of Babel is a cautionary tale. It reminds me of the incredible power and potential of words.  They allow us to communicate and congregate. To gather around ideas that shape beliefs and behaviors.  


In today's word saturated world, it seems to me too many words are being carelessly scattered especially throughout the social media stratosphere. The words we use can either build up or tear down. They can unite or divide.

Let's be careful.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Shaking the System

Here at Grace Community Church we just finished a four week series entitled Shaking the System. If you missed any of these -- you can listen online at www.gracecc.org/sermons.html How did this weekend series stir you? What questions or concerns did it raise in your heart and mind? This past week Dave Rod gave us some ideas for personal engagement -- have you or are you planning to take any steps to personally get engaged in social justice issues?

Praying as We Breathe In & Out

By offering a simple prayer with every breath, we can be reminded "for in him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:28). Although rather simple, this practice requires a connection between the unconscious act of breathing and a conscious expression to God. A Bit of History The church has practiced breath prayer or "prayer of the heart" for millennia . The Eastern Orthodox Church, in particular, has seen breath prayer as a way of living out Paul's instruction to "pray without ceasing."         Examples Jesus Prayer Take a moment to become aware of your breathing. It might help to find a quiet place -- close your eyes and notice your breathing. As you breath in -- bring your thoughts to Jesus. As you breath out -- express a word of gratitude or need. For example, breath in -- saying "Lord, Jesus Christ" -- breath out saying "have mercy on me." Throughout your day -- as you notice your breathing -- take note an

The Shack and Room of Marvels

I love to read. I enjoy hearing what others are thinking and processing. I go through spurts of reading fiction and honestly I don't read very much christian fiction. BUT, a few years ago I read a book called Room of Marvels and just recently picked up a copy of the book, The Shack . Both books are fiction. Both books press in on really hard subjects of pain and loss. Both books profoundly impacted my view of God, our world, and eternity. Any readers out there? Have you read either of these books? Would love to hear your thoughts?