June 23, 2026:

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11.8-9)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

And from that day, the human race has continued to Babble-On! We know of Babylon in both the Old and New Testament writings. It is a symbol of the failure of a “one world” identity. Interesting enough, God uses Babylon in both Testaments as instruments of divine judgment and correction. The conflict of mixed purposes has always been like a plague for the human race. From Adam and Eve in the Garden to the conflicts in every center of government to the culture and climate in our very own homes, businesses and community gathering places. The attempt to a “one size fits all” never truly fits. We may even hear of such questioning when it comes to the role of the Church in the world. In the first century, the battle was waged as to the identity of the Church reflecting its predecessor by faith in the legacy of Israel to be of a Jewish mind and presence or by faith in the new creation uniting the world in the name of Jesus Christ and the gospel of grace and righteousness. In both instances, the call to be a “light to the world” is critical to their understanding of both mission and purpose. It is to draw all people back into a right relationship with God. We might even see the very act of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus was crucified and resurrected to be symbolic of that reunion in Jesus Christ. As the disciples left the Upper Room that morning on the first day of the week (a Jubilee event) empowered by the Holy Spirit, they were able to speak the gospel so that all the people heard it in their own languages. In the story of the Tower of Babel (confusion), the people were scattered because they could no longer work together. They could not work together because they could not communicate as with one language. At Pentecost, it was the preaching of the gospel empowered by the Holy Spirit that allowed the people who had gathered in Jerusalem for one purpose (to gain a blessing for the coming harvest) to become as one people under conviction. You see, regardless of the productivity of the harvest, without a genuine faith experience with the living God there was no hope for the greater future. That greater future was the life yet to come. The world had proven to be frustrating. The competition for identity and authority, the validation of “one” was overwhelming. Oneness was considered to only be “all the same” in the midst of physical attributes: clothing, style, language and community (based on political and philosophy). That was never going to happen because of the diversity which was obviously a part of creation. However, the internal mechanism of humanity (heart, mind and soul) can experience unity with a similar focus. For the Jews it was the language of obedience: to God, to the Law and those who administrated the Law as anointed leaders from generation to generation. However, for the Church, Christ followers who were Christians beginning in Antioch, the language was that of love: for God, for neighbor, for self, for one another and for all. Of course, the only way to truly love “all” was to love God first and always knowing the choice of God was to love us first. His greatest testimony of love was “mercy and grace” which satisfied the penalty of sin (choosing to believe there is another way to live apart from God). That language was spoken from the beginning in Creation, in the Fall and in the journey of faith back to God culminating in the Cross.

And yet, we, the Church, are still in competition with the world as it continues to “Babble On.” The world makes small things big and big things small. Yes, it is a matter of perspective as to which is which but I believe if we will be truly honest, everyone would finally agree what is major and what is minor. Scripture identifies it as those who would transpose “the lie for the truth” and surrender “the truth for a lie.” The easiest way to do so is to sublimate or attempt to eliminate the very presence and notion of One True God. And how, you may ask, is that different from those who seek a “one world government”? First and foremost, it differs because the “one world government” ideal is man-made and human controlled. How finite beings believe they can be infinite has been the Enemy’s calling card to confusion; that is, babel. I wonder if God didn’t cause the “scattering” by simply removing the smoke screen the Enemy had poured out on humankind. When their “cross” purposes were exposed and the many agendas became known, the people began to separate themselves- each according to their own. It is by a “cross” purpose, mighty ones of God that we will find our unity with one another. It is by that “cross” purpose that we will find our hope in life not merely as dust of the earth but in the Spirit of Christ which gives us life and that life abundantly and eternally. We must learn, as members of the Church in all our diversity, to find our common unity as a community of faith, hope and love. I will always point out that it is in the sacrament of “communion” where we find our true selves. It is there that both saint and sinner can be united by the sacrifice of Christ (in body, blood and Spirit). The “cross” purpose of God in Jesus Christ is to manifest what truly brings us together and holds us together in the Body of Christ and equally members of it. Jesus scattered the disciples, and generationally all believers, into the world not in a confusing language (although we certainly have done a good bad job of that) but with the language of redeeming love. The Bible tells us both sides of the story of our humanity: the bad and the good; the wrong and the right, the evil and the righteousness. The choice is always up to us how we will go in the direction we go. But because God loves us, He shows us the consequence, the end goal, of all our decisions. We will have only ourselves to blame.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.