Acts 2:1-21
How many of you speak a language besides English? … (hands, comments)
I love languages. In High School and College, I studied
Spanish and French. My skills are pretty rusty, but if I was immersed in the
culture, the languages would come back.
In today’s reading from Acts, language plays a big part in
the story. The disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit and go out into the
crowd and speak to the people there. These folks are Jews who come from all
parts of the Mediterranean area. They speak the hometown language – not
Aramaic. So, they – and we – are amazed that they can understand what the
disciples are saying. They are also amazed at what the disciples are saying
about Jesus – that he has been raised from death.
The whole scene must have been wild – with tongues of fire
and the noise of a violent wind signaling the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps today we might think of a laser light show at a Rock Concert. God
certainly got their attention! Through the disciples, God was speaking their
language.
The disciples were sent to tell the world, all nations, all
peoples, the good news of Jesus. In order to tell the story they needed to be
able to speak the language of the people in that nation. On that day, Luke
reports that the disciples spoke in languages they did not know, and their
listeners heard and believed.
Two thousand years later, there are few people in the world
who have not heard of Jesus. They may not believe, but they have heard. When I
was growing up, the mission field was Africa and Asia. Now, today, it’s next
door and across the street.
It used to be we could send out a mailing telling people
about an event, and they would come. It used to be that evangelism consisted of
knocking on our neighbors’ doors and invite them, and they would come check us
out. That used to work. But it doesn’t work any more.
We need a new method, a new language to reach out to our
neighbors. Actually, it’s not a new language we need; we need to listen to and
speak our neighbors’ languages.
… Here are a couple of stories about what that might look
like. These are not all Christian stories, or stories of believers sharing the
good news. But they do show us how to speak another person’s language.
The first story has been in the news lately. Tampa’s 10News
told the story of Raven Britton who spent 5 hours commuting every day getting
her kids to daycare and herself to work. The story intended to point out the
need for improved mass transit in the area.
A number of people responded to the story with offers of
rides and money to pay bus fare. Julio Sanchez went a step further. He owns a
car repair business, and decided to give Raven a car. It’s not a new car, but
it will run well and get her around town in lots less time.
Julio told a little of his own story. When he was twelve, he
left Cuba on his own, and someone helped him by giving him food and a place to
stay. He decided it was time to pass it on. Somehow, the Holy Spirit helped
Julio and Raven speak the same language, and they were both blessed.
… The second story was also in the news. There was a report
about teachers using Hip-hop rhymes to learn the facts of a lot of different
topics: math, science, history. By teaching with rhythm and rhyme, students
found it easy to memorize a lot of data and recall it for a test.
For example, here is a little bit from a program called
Flocabulary. It helps students understand a lesson in grammar about first,
second and third person, me, you, and he or she.
Everybody
wants to know my point of view,
First person is me, second person is you.
Third person is he, third person is she,
Everybody wants to know my POV.
First person is me, second person is you.
Third person is he, third person is she,
Everybody wants to know my POV.
Most young people today know hip-hop songs, know the rhythms
and how to rhyme, and admire hip-hop artists who do it well. If we are going to
reach younger folks with the good news of Jesus’ love for us all, we need to
learn to speak their language.
We can say hip-hop doesn’t belong in church. Or we can learn
to use it to reach those who speak it. For example, here is a verse from a song
by a Christian Rapper named Timothy Brindle. It should be spoken fast, but
I can’t do it faster and know that you will understand what I am saying.
"You're the Lion, yet the Lamb/ You're divine yet
you're a man/ You're Messiah and I AM / You're triumphant in your plan/
Resurrected in all power and might/ Exalted in all glory and honor—the Father
showered the Christ." [The
Excellency of Christ]
If you are like me, and not exactly fluent in rap, in the
ways of communicating with young people, it doesn’t take much. It just takes the
Holy Spirit. And a willingness to be used for God’s purposes. I figure that if
the Spirit can help the first disciples speak in languages they didn’t know,
the Spirit can help us too.
… One more story. ELCA Global Mission shared a story about
Sudanese refugees who came to the USA years ago. Many of them were called “The
Lost Boys of Sudan.” Some of them have become Lutheran pastors, and are now
ready to return home to share the good news of Jesus. They will go home, even
though there is still conflict, because they are needed. They know the language
of their people; they know the hurts, the fears, the sad events. They wish to
go to serve their people with the help of the Holy Spirit.
… Our neighbors who don’t know Jesus as a loving, forgiving,
divine being are missing something. You know it, I know it. In order for them
to hear about Jesus, we need to listen to them to learn their language, to hear
what they are saying.
Are they hurting? Are they angry with God because a loved
one died? Are they suffering from broken relationships? Are they struggling
financially? Are they literally hungry? Are they seeking a God who is not angry
and punishing? Are they seeking a God who loves and forgives?
When we know what language they are speaking, we can allow
the Spirit to guide us and put words in our mouths – and to help the other
person’s heart to hear us. When we speak their language, they can hear Jesus
speaking to them.
I like to end with a challenge. Pay attention to the
challenges, because sometimes I ask the next Sunday how you did! So, this week,
I invite you to listen to someone, and figure out what language they are
speaking. Do you understand the words? Do you understand the meaning that
underlies the words? Do you find an opportunity to tell someone, in any
language, that Jesus loves and forgives them?
Please pray with me. Loving God, you speak to us in many
languages. Help us to hear you, and help us hear the meaning behind the words
others are speaking. Help us share your love and forgiveness wherever we go.
Amen.
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