This evening, in Portland, in close
proximity to over 5,000 United Methodists for General Conference, our
denominations largest gathering, and having experienced a rousing worship
service this afternoon, the Spirit, the events of Pentecost, and the meaning
behind the events of the second chapter of Acts have shifted for me in a rather
significant way. Pentecost, the historical moment in the life of the early
Christian church in which the Spirit descended, manifesting in the disciples
being “filled with the Holy Spirit” and “divided tongues, as of fire” appearing
to rest on each of them and giving the disciples the ability “to speak in other
languages.” The languages that were spoken during this event were real,
documented languages that allowed the disciples to speak to the crowd gathered
around them, each in their own language despite the fact that they did not
previously know the languages they were speaking.
This moment was pivotal for the disciples
in the early church. As they were trying to put things back together after the
ascension of Jesus, they were struggling with how they could be a voice of hope
to those around them in need. Suddenly, finding themselves imbued with the
ability to speak directly to the masses was emboldening to them, allowing them
to see that, not only did they have a message that needed to be heard but that they
would be given the words that needed to be spoken at that time.
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| Sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Portland, OR (Photo Credit: David Mauzy) |
My relationship and understanding
of the events of Pentecost have been complicated to say the least. I used to attend a church where I was taught
that speaking in tongues actually took on multiple forms, that it could be a
private prayer language between the speaker and God; real translatable language
as in Acts; or prophetic messages to the church if someone else has the gift of
interpretation. I remember the first time that I heard people praying in
tongues in my old church. I was both
intrigued and unnerved by it.
In time, I would come to learn more
about their understanding of this practice.
For them, the emphasis was on the power of God being channeled through humans
and manifesting in spiritual gifts as described in 1st Corinthians
12 – 14. While many gifts are referenced in those chapters, the gift of tongues
was always held out as kind of the gateway gift, the one that allowed you to
take on the label of having been baptized in the Spirit.
Now, since having left behind that
previous church context, I honestly haven’t thought much about Pentecost, at
least not in the same way that I did before. In my old church, the gift of
speaking of tongues, which I never actually experienced and never observed it
manifesting in real translatable languages as we see in Acts, was more about
the power of God being received and channeled through the speaker. Today, I experienced
a bit of paradigm shift though. It allowed me to see Pentecost in a new way, a
way that brought power and significance back to it for me.
This afternoon, during a worship
service surrounded by other queer Christians and their allies, I saw the power
of seeing Pentecost, not from the perspective of the speaker, but from the
position of the hearer. In my pew today, I saw, heard, and felt the power of
God speaking, through the moving worship led by Mark Miller and the life-giving
words of Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey, to diverse peoples from diverse backgrounds
and diverse ways of being in the world. Diverse languages were included in the
service in order to emphasize that there is a place for everyone and that all
of us deserve to hear God speak to us in a way that is familiar to us.
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| Love Your Neighbor Coalition logo on the screen at First United Methodist Church in Portland, OR (David Mauzy) |
Many from
my previous church context would argue that what I experienced today was not
the same as what happened at Pentecost, but I would say that they are
wrong. Today, the Spirit of God moved upon
human vessels to deliver a much needed message of hope that in diverse
languages to a discouraged people, reassuring them that, no matter how many
barriers are created by society and the church, God will still find ways to
speak to them and through them.
~ Culbs
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