Monday, October 20, 2008

14 Years of Kevin Christmas



... and what a joy it has been ... mostly =). A few words about Kevin are in order at this point. Without going into much detail about how great the youngest of the Christmas clan is ... I think this quote works well: "Never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting for centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossibility to do that thing." Attempt the impossible Gus ... God will provide peace and courage when you are tempted to believe it cannot be done. Live with passion. Love ya, Robby

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Stop Babbling and Spread Out

It's winter, you're under the covers curled up in a ball to keep all your body heat in, the last thing you want to do is spread out over the whole mattress, and at this point you strangely resemble ... the tower of Babel?! What?! Yes, the people that descended from Noah after the flood assembled at a plain in Shinar and are responsible for the fact that you can't understand some of the more festive stations on your radio dial. Genesis 11:1-9 tells the typical tale of rebellious creation more concerned about its desires than the Creator’s. Because of the fall man is prone to think of himself rather than God and live for his purposes rather than God’s.

God had clearly said to increase in number and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28) and had even restated this mandate twice after Noah and his family came out of the ark (Gen. 9:1, 7). God's not into isolationism. The original idea was to spread out on the earth and display God's image (that He had given them) throughout the world, but the sinful heart of man desired to build a great tower to the heavens and “make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:4). So, everyone spoke the same language and they decided to build a huge tower, but God took some corrective measures to thwart their plans and keep His plans and His name ultimate. So He confused their language and “scattered them from there over all the earth” (11:8). That is why people speak different languages today, and that is why if someone can't understand you they say you are babbling.

The diversity is great, but remember this came about as a result of sin, and the consequences pose problems today as missionaries struggle to overcome cultural barriers while sharing the gospel. This passage not only gives us the origins of languages and people groups, it also provides an indicting picture of what can happen to those in a similar situation today. Think about the American church, all curled up in its own comfort, not wanting to spread out. Strikingly we even have similar building projects as those in Genesis 11, and God has made it clear that we are not to build anything for our name, but to spread out and fill the earth. The barriers begun at Babel are not to be strengthened through the same selfishness, but rather torn down through an intentional global mission.

In His grace God follows up Genesis 11 with Genesis 12 (not just cause it works so well numerically). Genesis 12 tells us of Abraham's calling. It is immediately after the Tower of Babel that God chooses one man to father a nation that would bless all nations, the very nations that were just created through rebellion. In the same spirit of Genesis 3:15, right on the heels of rebellion, a light of hope is shone through a man named Abram who would be blessed to bless the nations. The Messiah and the Mission continue to pervade the OT. In the spirit of Abraham, let us be willling to leave our country and our father's house and go to a land He will show us.