From Babel to Pentecost

Yesterday at church we skipped the Old Testament reading for Pentecost Sunday. For those unfamiliar with the lectionary, that is the story of the Tower of Babel. I appreciate the Old Testament reading on this day because it keeps Pentecost anchored in the events of the ancient past. Without Babel we can sometimes get caught up in the Pentecost moment, and see the coming of the Holy Spirit as this entirely new thing -- a forward-looking thing, without reference to any prior point in history. And yet the miracle of languages at Pentecost is firmly rooted in the work of the Holy Trinity at Babel. In His great mercy, at Babel, God tore the human family apart; but in Jerusalem, at Pentecost, God by His grace begins to bring that family back together. And on the Last Day He will complete that work when every nation worships with one voice -- and, I believe, with one language -- around the throne of God.