The Language of the Church

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the beginning, the people of the world were of one set of words. In all the earth, there was one set of words. A unity, if you will, of the tongue. Genesis literally reads that the people were of one lip. Among all the children of Adam, one language encompassed the world.

And this unity of words led them to plot evil against God. Being of one lip, the people could conspire together, and this allowed them to cook up the scheme of building a great city and a tall tower to reach up into the heavens. Their unity of words bred pride in their hearts. They were proud that they could band together and accomplish anything under the sun, whatever they set their hands to.

And so, because they could do whatever they set out, they decided to build a great city and a high and lofty tower, so that they could reach up into the heavens. The people wanted a monument to their own pride and ambition, and a symbol of their own greatness which would endure for generations. At heart, what were they after? To bring the kingdom of God to earth, and on their terms.

They thought that if they established themselves, made a name for themselves by the works of their hands, and constructed a bridge into the great beyond, they could bring God to themselves. But really? What did they get? God saw their toiling, and stooped down to see what the fuss was all about. He came down out of heaven to visit these little people in the mud.

God came down out of heaven and visited this little building project, and saw that the intention of their hearts was evil. And He decided to stop their scheme by confusing their language. He divided them one from another by means of their speech. He made it so that “they will not hear, a man, the lip of his neighbor.” And so mankind was divided and scattered across the face of the earth, and the great city and mighty tower came to naught.

Now did this silence mankind? One might think it would, having no one to talk to who would understand you. But no – it did not. Man has kept on talking and talking, even if no one is listening, for the millennia since Babel.

The children of men say a great many things, but in effect say nothing. There are some 7,000 distinct languages among the tribes and nations of this planet. Ninety percent of the world's languages are spoken by just four percent of the world's people. And yet, with all this diversity of lip and words, you still keep talking, waiting for someone to listen to you.

And even if you and your neighbor are of one lip, able to understand one another's speech, it is often of no good to you anyhow. How much more is said between people who understand each other's words, but without saying anything of substance!

Communications specialists often talk about talking past one another – using the same words and sounds, but having totally different meanings and ideas behind them. This happens all the time. Just think of the last time you tried to negotiate for something. You say something, then the other party parries back at you, then you fire back a response... and so on and so forth. A lot of words are exchanged, but nothing happens.

A lot of unproductive speech happens everyday. Sure, small talk has a purpose sometimes, but how often have you had a conversation with someone, then walked away not knowing anything about how that person is doing, how he feels, whether he needed anything?

Perhaps the worst tragedy to come about because two people understand each other is the ability for gossip, slander, and hate to spread from tongue to tongue like wildfire. St. James speaks of the tongue as a horse that must be bridled or as the small rudder that turns a great ship. And so it is. The tongue, which has the ability to speak the things of God – forgiveness, praise, thanksgiving, and blessing – also has the ability to speak the words of the enemy.

With the tongue you are capable of tearing down your neighbor in no time at all. You can set his reputation, his honor, his good name all ablaze in a firestorm of deceit and unprofitable speech. This is what the Eighth Commandment forbids when it commands you not to bear false testimony against your neighbor. It is not enough simply not to tell lies.

How often have you been party to gossip? It is one thing simply to listen and not repeat it, but quite another to put a stop to the wagging tongues around you. It is one thing simply not to tell lies about your neighbor (or your brother, or your pastor, or your president), but quite another to put the best construction on everything and explain everything in the kindest way.

Hate comes from hell. Mercy comes from Christ. When you have hate in your heart, your spirit is damaged. Be careful with your words. Not only are you a living witness of Christ and His truth, but you could put your own soul at risk. "Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him." (1 John 3:15) When you hate, you are no better than those who kill.¹

Be careful with your words, because words matter. The unity of words that existed before Babel led to evil in the sight of God, but the division of lips that has covered the earth since then has been the root of more more and greater evil than ever before. Unity of speech used to tear down, defame, and destroy your neighbor is unity not with one another, but with the father of lies. Repent. Bridle your tongue, lest your ship be steered onto the rocks.

For millennia, the earth was encircled with people of every sort of language and tongue. The number of languages grew and grew, so that a man did not understand his neighbor. But then the miracle of Pentecost happened.

On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles with tongues of fire. With a mighty wind and a great noise, He came upon them and alighted upon them, and their own tongues were set free. These timid few, locked away in the upper room, were filled with the Spirit and they began to speak as never before. They were filled with all boldness and confidence to preach the Gospel to all men staying in Jerusalem.

Peter and the others went out into the square and began proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. Men of all sorts of languages heard them, each in his own tongue. The apostles spoke many different languages that day, but – miraculously! – they all said the same thing!

The apostles, no matter the language they were speaking, all said the same thing, because they all proclaimed the same message, which is the same message that the Holy Spirit gives the messengers of God to speak to this day: “We preach Christ crucified!” (1Cor. 1:23). Throughout time and space, across many different lips and tongues and languages, the message remains the same. The Holy Spirit animated the Church on Pentecost, and He continues to animate her preaching to this day.

The message of Peter rings still: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know –  this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God put to death by sinful men for the sins of the whole world, God has raised from the dead and made the salvation of all mankind. This man, the very Paschal Lamb who was sacrificed for your sins, has been raised again to become the symbol and guarantee of your life and salvation, here in time and for eternity in heaven.

This is the unity of the Church, the unity into which she was born on Pentecost, and the unity in which she has existed and shall ever continue to exist. The Church is one because her Lord is one, and because she speaks as with one voice.

The Church only has one thing to say, one message to proclaim. Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the salvation of sinners. This is the true unity of words in the midst of divided tongues. Across time and space, throughout the whole world, in every language under heaven, the Kingdom of God comes not by means of a skyscraping tower, but by means of a lowly but powerful word. The Kingdom of God comes when Christ our Lord proclaims to you that your sins are forgiven.

You are a person of unclean lips, living in the midst of a people of unclean and unbridled tongues. But you have been purified of your uncleanness, and now you speak with the tongues of men and angels, speaking as the Holy Spirit gives you utterance. You speak words of mercy, of grace, and of peace. You speak words of forgiveness, life, and salvation. You speak peace to the troubled hearts. You speak comfort to the grieving and the sorrowful. You speak joy to the distressed and hope to the hopeless. You speak Christ to the nations, for the healing of the peoples. This is the unity of the Church – this is your unity.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

1Abby Johnson, “If Gosnell Deserves Death and Hell, Then What Do I Deserve?” <http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/abby-johnson-if-gosnell-deserves-hell-then-what-do-i-deserve > accessed 14 May 2013