Power-hungry people seeking to make a name for themselves, building a tower to heaven, acting as if they are God. Chaos. Confusion. Division. This Sunday’s lectionary calendar doesn’t include the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-11. But considering today’s divisions and disagreements, violent power grabs, the willful siloing behind lack of understanding or desire to understand, the borders and barbed wire, I think Babel should be juxtaposed with Acts 2:1-21 this Sunday. We are a scattered and increasingly disconnected people. We are living in a state of confusion and chaos. The Pentecost story in Acts is often called the Tower of Babel story reversed, bringing diverse people together. The Holy Spirit bestows the gift of understanding. The community of faith that we call the church is born. What a gift to celebrate! In Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy emphasizes the importance of building a more socially connected future to stem the rise of loneliness, division, anger and resentment. Social connection stands out to Murthy as a largely unrecognized and underappreciated force for facing the critical problems with which individuals, our society and our world are currently dealing. Murthy cites research revealing the physical harm of social disconnection. Lonely, disconnected people are at a higher risk for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, dementia, depression, and anxiety. They are more likely to have lower-quality sleep, immune system dysfunction, impulsive behavior, and impaired judgment. This social disconnection grows into a larger problem when, as Murthy warns, severely lonely people are so preoccupied with their own emotions that they have little energy for empathy. Loneliness begets more loneliness, disconnection to deliberate detachment, further isolation and conclusions that “other people” just don’t understand. In severe cases, loneliness and disconnection lead to reactivity and even trigger violence. The miracle of Pentecost is the cure for the curse of Babel. Acts 2:1-21 is a beautiful reminder of God’s desire for us to be a people connected, to strengthen our sense of community, to understand and empathize with one another. My favorite part of the Pentecost narrative is how the people were given the ability to both speak and listen to those of different languages, cultures and customs. Conflict and disconnection often boil down to a lack of communication, or misunderstanding. Pentecost is the church’s annual reminder that the Holy Spirit not only calls us together but equips us to listen and learn from one another, to grow in understanding and empathy, to be God’s people and Christ’s church together. ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. | 
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