A Spirit of Understanding

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Acts 2:1-21

    I think our congregation has a higher percentage than your average U.S. congregation of people who speak more than one language!  Have you ever tried to learn a new language, especially as an adult?  It’s not as easy the older you get.  At the same time, the languages I know the best are not the ones I learned in school, but the ones I have learned by living in or visiting countries where I have to speak and use the language.  So when we were living and serving in Nebraska, I worked with Spanish-speaking ministries there and my Spanish got pretty good.  For a year after I graduated from college, I lived in eastern Slovakia as a Young Adult in Global Mission, a program through our denomination that’s kind of like the Peace Corps but faith-based.  We had three weeks of intensive Slovak lessons, 8 hours a day, five days a week, in the capital of Bratislava, then we were shipped out on trains to where we were living throughout the country.  I would say I’m not fluent but conversational in Slovak – it doesn’t come in handy too often now, as you can imagine! One thing I learned pretty quickly was, don’t say yes or nod to anything you don’t actually understand.  You may not know what you are agreeing to!  It’s better to just admit you don’t understand!  If you’ve ever had the experience of being immersed in a place where another language is spoken, it can be exhausting.  Then, there’s a point where you are even dreaming in the other language – that’s when you know that you have arrived!
    In our first reading from Genesis, God confuses the language of people so that they cannot understand one another.  The tower they are wanting to build in this ancient culture was associated with foreign gods.  God wants people to worship him, rather than relying solely on themselves or other false gods.  Similar to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the people want to become like God.  Or should we say, even worse, they want to be better than God!  “Let us make a name for ourselves!” the people say to each other. They are selfishly focused, rather than placing God at the center of their lives, so God causes confusion among them with different languages.  The story is a cautionary tale of trying to depend on ourselves rather than God.
    So when we come to the story of Pentecost in the book of Acts, our second reading for today, God is reversing this Babel story in a way, giving the gift of understanding through the Holy Spirit so people can speak in the native language of others and understand one another.  The Holy Spirit helps us understand one another despite our differences.  But notice that God doesn’t have everyone speak the same language.  God preserves the diversity of language, ethnicity, culture, age, and gender, but encourages understanding in the midst of diversity.  Peter quotes from the prophet Joel that God’s Spirit will be poured out on all flesh – that old and young, men and women will be filled with the Holy Spirit to participate in the dream and vision of God.  Who knows? Maybe they were even dreaming in another language!  Everyone, regardless of their God-given diverse categories we could list, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, Peter assures us.  
    In our readings for today, we see two truths held together:  God sends the Holy Spirit to bring people together to work for the sake of the gospel with understanding and unity.  AND God creates people with incredible diversity and preserves that diversity.  Next Sunday is Holy Trinity Sunday, where we celebrate that God is both three and one, diversely acting as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and yet one God.  Jesus prays that we might be one as God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. It doesn’t mean that we all need to be exactly the same, but rather that our unity in diversity, our common faith and commitment to the gospel can inspire others to faith because of our unique and diverse gifts, talents and you being you!  When we go downstairs to enjoy our international potluck and celebrate the diversity of cultures in our own congregation, you don’t have to like every food you try, but we can appreciate where we come from and what positive aspects of our different cultures can be used to the glory of God.  For example, I don’t speak Chinese, but some of you do!  I’m not so great at crafting, but some of you are great with your hands!  Math is not my strong suit, but thank God we have some great finance people in this congregation!  
    As I get ready to go on this three-month sabbatical, and as I was applying for this amazing grant opportunity, I had to think about what makes me me, and what strengths I might want to focus on so I can come back to serve you as your pastor in the fall renewed for ministry.  One of my greatest loves and strengths is language, particularly, the English language. I love writing and reading.  I like hearing other people’s stories and telling my own stories.  Of course, I love retelling the biblical story to try to have it make sense for our lives today.  No one language tells the complete story of God.  The tower of Babel story in Genesis also reminds us that there are mysteries of God that cannot be explained or understood by our human efforts.  To a certain degree, faith is allowing God to be God.  Yet Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us understanding and ability to love God and one another even if we don’t fully understand.  Language is a tool in communicating the gospel.  And when words fail us, Romans 8:27 reminds us that the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.
    Inspired by the Holy Spirit, let us seek to understand one another, even if we disagree.  Look around and appreciate our God-given differences as unique and intentional ways our Creator wants us to use us to serve and love God and others.  Despite our differences in language or abilities, may we all seek to share the common language of God, the language of love.  Amen!