The Language of Pentecost

Homily – Pentecost Sunday, the 28th May 2023

Pentecost is about a God who speaks to each one of us in our own languages

Daphne was to do the intercessions today. Since she had to be in the hospital she wrote to me- In my meditations this morning I thought about why God just didn’t make it possible for everyone to understand the language the disciples preached in. Sort of reversing the Tower of Babel. Wouldn’t  that been simpler than speaking so many different languages? It is an amazing God that speaks to each of us in our own language.

Nelson Mandela said “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”  God speaks to our hearts in a language that connects to us more than anything else.

Have your ever thought in which language does God communicate to each one of us?

Pentecost gives us a clue- Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?

Note the multi-cultural variety of that congregation. Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs– in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

It is an amazing God that speaks to each of us in our own language.

Pentecost is about humanity speaking to each other in a comprehensible language.

One of the greatest crisis in life is losing the ability to communicate with each other.

I was closely following the Kuki Meithi conflict in Manipur India. Meithis are the plain people and Kukis are tribals. It is a long drawn crisis which blew up recently starting from riots in the town of Churchandpur. One of these groups were predominantly Christian and the riots meant attack on religious institutions including churches.

One of my mission journeys was about over thirty years ago preaching in this region. I connected with them and I was told, It is only the language of hatred and violence we hear today. We live in fear. We need another upper room experience.

In Mathew 11:17 we read ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn. This depicts a communication break down.

The young people tell us- you are speaking a language that is alien to us.

Take a closer look at this image. It is Plugging in and Plugging Off

In conversation with the invisible than with the neighbour.

We must not forget that the eyes has the power to speak a great language. And in many cases communication does not even need a language.

We must also acknowledge that a different language is a different vision of life and by trying to learn the same we are entering into a new possibility of communication.

The most comprehensible language is the language of compassion and the Holy Spirit fills you with the fruit of the Spirit including love, joy, peace to live this language.

One of the many mission applications we cleared was of a young girl who worked in the red streets of a known city. She proposed a nail art centre where the young girls caught up in the small galleys would come out to them. All we need to offer is a listening space. The Holy Spirit will work through our compassionate listening.

They come broken, bruised and shattered. We offer the peace that only the Holy Spirit can offer. It can be life transforming. Come Holy Spirit renew the whole creation.

Pentecost is about building a future that speaks a language of inclusion (where everyone is included)

It is noteworthy that the tongues of fire fell on everyone who was present in the upper room- Yes everyone.

Rita Browns says Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.

We live in badly divided world

We live in a context of war and violence

We live in a context of exclusion.

What the Holy Spirit does is breaking down walls that divide and leads one to whole truth

It reminds people of the sin of exclusion- even unintentional exclusion.

It reminds people of the joy of the justice done in inclusion

It reminds people of the consequences of discord.

There are people even within closely knit families who think they are not included in the family.

There are people within churches who even after many years do not find the belonging as others do

There are people living in our neighbourhood who still carry the tag of being aliens or strangers

Pentecost challenges us towards a world view of inclusion.

I remember organising a cricket match during the peak of the SriLankan ethnic war. Quite a lot of peace initiatives were being made, One was to have a cricket match and I was told it is going to be between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. It was organised by the church and therefore a Christian event and I was asked if I could be the Umpire. As I saw the build up I realised that it was going to do more harm than good and I told the organisers and the youngsters. Why don’t we mix up teams for peace! Then came a brilliant question. Can we call our friends and neighbours to be part of the teams. Yes I said and they brought in Muslims and Budhists too. Teams were called out random. Each team had to include everyone. That became one of the most enjoyable series I ever umpired just because people included the other as part of them and celebrated the togetherness.

Yes In one sentence. Pentecost is about inclusion

Pentecost is about the language of prophesies, visons, dreams and transformation

Do we know the language of love? I would want close with the story of the young angels at the Haufbonhoff. The visitors came and they had very heavy bags. To reach the taxi was not easy from the platform into which the train bayed in. But lo and behold- there came three young chaps- angels disguised. They saw the struggle and said- We can help. They took literally all the bags all the way up the taxi bay. Wished the travellers well and disappeared.

Yes Pentecost reminds us- Love will reign supreme

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men and women shall see visions,
and your old men and women shall dream dreams.

Yes, despite the constraints of language Pentecost reminds us that all human made constructs of exclusion will be radically transformed including those around our understanding of gender and sexuality.

Yes, Pentecost reminds us that there is no slave or free- everyone will be filled with the Holy Spirit

Yes, Pentecost reminds us of the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day wherein the kingdom values that we strived for would be experienced and made manifest

Yes Pentecost reminds us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Yes EVERYONE.

Yes Pentecost is about the Glory of God’s Power and the Power of God’s Glory

Vinod Victor

May 28, 2023