Imagio Dei: Pentecost and the Image of God

Michaelangelo's Creation of Man from Sistine Chapel

Lewis Lavoies' "One Blood, Many Nations" mural of Adam at the United Nations

The Sunday of Pentecost and the Tower of Babel:

Today's lectionary study comes from two passages, one from

Genesis recounting the story of the Tower of Babel and the other

from the book of Acts giving the account of Pentecost.

These lessons bring forth a great deal of possibilities regarding

our expression in both language and image

regarding who we are and who God is in our lives.

For the expression of image, as we look at Levoies' art,

we will discuss the phrase "imagio dei" (image of God) and

what that means in our present day world.

How does this affect our mission to others?

For language, what does it mean to speak with the same tongue?

What does it mean to appreciate diversity of language and people?

How has language shaped our belief?

How can we communicate with a world so multilingual?

Our readings are below:

The Tower of Babel: Genesis 11:1-9

11:1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.

11:2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain

in the land of Shinar and settled there.

11:3 And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks,

and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and

bitumen for mortar.

11:4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and

a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name

for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon

the face of the whole earth."

11:5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower,

which mortals had built.

11:6 And the LORD said, "Look, they are one people, and

they have all one language; and this is only the beginning

of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will

now be impossible for them.

11:7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language

there, so that they will not understand one another's speech."

11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over

the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

11:9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the

LORD confused the language of all the earth; and

from there the LORD scattered them abroad over

the face of all the earth.

Pentecost: Acts 2:1-21

2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they

were all together in one place.

2:2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound

like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire

house where they were sitting.

2:3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,

and a tongue rested on each of them.

2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and

began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit

gave them ability.

2:5 Now there were devout Jews from every

nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.

2:6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was

bewildered, because each one heard them speaking

in the native language of each.

2:7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not

all these who are speaking Galileans?

2:8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our

own native language?

2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of

Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of

Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,

both Jews and proselytes,

2:11 Cretans and Arabs--in our own languages we

hear them speaking about God's deeds of power."

2:12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one

another, "What does this mean?"

2:13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled

with new wine."

2:14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised

his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and

all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you,

and listen to what I say.

2:15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose,

for it is only nine o'clock in the morning.

2:16 No, this is what was spoken through the

prophet Joel:

2:17 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that

I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your

sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your

young men shall see visions, and your old men shall

dream dreams.

2:18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they

shall prophesy.

2:19 And I will show portents in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and

smoky mist.

2:20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the

moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's

great and glorious day.

2:21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the

Lord shall be saved.'