I’m preaching through a series right now called The Better Story.  It’s a series all about the stories in Scripture that call us into the bigger and better story of God.

This past Sunday I talked about the strangely fascinating passage in Genesis 11:1-9. It’s what we typically call The Story of Babel and I believe it offers the Church in America a timely word.  

First, here’s the first part of the text from Genesis 11:1-4 in case it’s been a while:

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

 

Here’s one reason this story is so timely.  Many of us want now what they had then.  We want a place that is fortified, where everyone speaks the same language so we can make a name for ourselves.  In short, to many folks Babel is the American Dream come true! Continue reading