Babel or Pentecost?

There is something so wonderfully mysterious about how God works in and through our lives. Living in God's story is messy and is often filled with unexpected surprises. Being a planner, this is often hard and I am constantly reminded of who is in control. The beautiful part about being called to be an active player in God's story of redemption is that we are not alone in our efforts in pursuing this mission. The story of Pentecost is beautiful as the Holy Spirit is revealed and the church begins to spread! A recent article at Faith and Leadership is titled Messy Church by Jo Bailey Wells, and is really interesting. She examines mission through the lens of Babel and Pentecost. In the beginning of the article she highlights how the events of Babel differ from the events at Pentecost.

It was the early church fathers who first saw divine reversal in the events of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2) compared with the primeval portrayal of Babel (Genesis 11). At Babel the one language was confused; in Jerusalem the many languages become comprehensible. At Babel the people were scattered; in Jerusalem “every nation” comes together. At Babel earth tried building its way to heaven; in Jerusalem heaven reaches down to earth. At Babel the human ego was condemned; in Jerusalem the human spirit is renewed. At Babel we saw divine frustration; in Jerusalem we witness divine delight. At Babel we look into a mirror; at Pentecost we gaze through a window -- a window that reveals a glimpse of heaven on earth.

Jesus says to his disciples in Acts 1:7-8, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth." The power of the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples and now enables us to live out and share the power of the resurrection! As this article states, this mission that we are called to is messy and often uncomfortable.

The author asks, "are we formed by Pentecost, shaped by its implications for the ways (nature or nurture) the church is raised and organized?" Is the church pursuing mission like Babel did or like Pentecost. Am I pursuing mission like Babel or like Pentecost? I think these are great questions to ponder. She says later in the article...

The contrast between Babel and Pentecost is not a playoff between maintenance and mission. No, at both Babel and Pentecost we are witness to the lively pursuit of mission. Rather, the difference has to do with how and why mission is embraced. At Babel the mission is human, the goal is measured in bricks, and success means efficiency in a strategy of design and delivery. At Pentecost the mission is not ours, the goal (the throng worshipping at God’s throne) is immeasurable, and success continually demands shunning efficiency for the sake of seeking the least and the lost. Pentecost undermines all blueprints, all formulae, all reduction to principles. Note that Peter did not preach in sound bites -- even to a nonliterate crowd.

The answers include living with uncertainty, holding in tension ambiguities, being patient in confusion, questioning our tendency to streamline for efficiency. They suggest breaking out instead of reining in, reaching for ever more uncomfortable, costly diversity and, more generally, tolerating broad margins of messiness. At bottom, perhaps it is about who is in control. Which is something both Babel and Pentecost make absolutely clear.

I recommend the rest of the article and I challenge myself and others to pursue living out this mission that all believers have been called to with full reliance upon the Lord, allowing ourselves to be ok with the mystery, messiness, and uncomfortableness, and constantly reminding ourselves of who is in control!

http://faithandleadership.com/content/messy-church?page=0,0
Painting by: Alexander Sadoyan

-Lindsey