Acts 2:1-21
Can you imagine getting through a day without talking? Now add to that - not hearing a word from another person? Total isolation from the outside world. No one speaking to you. How long do you think you would last? Christoper Pullman Knight spent 27 years as a hermit in Maine. Not many of us have accomplished such a feat. Scientists say we spend up to 80 percent of our waking day in various forms of communication. We are wired for human connection. The lack of communication and human contact can create serious mental health problems in the matter of days.
Because communication is second nature, we often take talking and listening for granted. Most of the time we listen not to really hear but to prepare our response to what we are going to say. We often talk mindlessly, not thinking through our responses. Pentecost is the celebration of perfect communication - people talking and listening in perfect accord in order to connect and build community. Speaking your truth and being really heard are powerful, transformative experiences – the kind of experiences at the heart of Pentecost.
The art of listening is especially an important act if we are truly to build healthy relationships. It acknowledges what the other person says is important.
A Christian author once wrote about how distracted he got with his speaking and listening. He said, “I distinctly remember after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin’ and I’ll tell you really fast.’ “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me—and you don’t have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.” “I’ll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’” That’s an important lesson for us: Do we listen slowly and carefully to each other? Listening carefully is one of the greatest gifts we can offer each other. It has been said: we have two ears and one mouth – and that tells us we need to listen more than speak.
The Day of Pentecost is a celebration of the power of listening and understanding, and in turn speaking our truth. If you recall, Jesus had ascended to heaven, and his followers were a little scared, confused, maybe unsure what to do next. They gathered in one place, as one group. Suddenly, a sound like a rushing wind filled the house, and tongues of fire appeared and rested on each of them. They began to speak in different languages. Now, imagine you’re in the crowd outside. It was a Jewish holiday, so people from all over the world were there—people from many nations and languages—and they hear these Galileans speaking their own languages. They were amazed at what they were hearing. How is this possible? How can these people speak languages they’ve never learned? But here’s the thing: these were ordinary folks, empowered by the Holy Spirit, sharing a message — a message of hope, love, and salvation through Jesus.
This story isn’t just the miracle of speaking in tongues. It’s also about how people choose to listen. Not just to sounds, but to the heart behind the words. We live in a world that’s full of noise. So many voices, so many opinions, so many people talking past each other instead of to each other. Back on that first Pentecost —people from different regions, different languages, different backgrounds, listened to one another and were amazed because they discovered they really heard. Pentecost is often called the great reversal of the Tower of Babel - that famous story from Genesis which we also heard read this morning. The consequence of Babel was that the people were scattered, not understanding each other, speaking separate languages. Pentecost is the healing of that separation. Still different languages – but now with the capacity to listen and understand.
Listening well builds bridges across differences. Think about those people from all over the world. They were separated by language and culture, but because they listened with open hearts, they discovered they shared something deeper – a common hope, a shared faith, a new family. In our world today, we don’t have to look far to see divisions. Sometimes it’s between political parties, sometimes between friends or family. But if we really listen—if we approach each other as neighbors rather than opponents—we can build bridges that bring us together.
Listening well takes time. It means pushing aside the distractions in our head, our tendency to cut each other off in order that we can say our piece – especially if there’s a difference of opinions. So, Pentecost teaches us to engage in holy listening – what God is truly saying to us – teaching us to hear not just each other’s words but the truth we are seeking to convey.
Holy Listening opens the door for new understanding and growth. Before Pentecost, the followers of Jesus didn’t fully understand what their mission was. But that day, through the Spirit’s power, they shared their story in a way that connected with people. People listened, asked questions, and new believers were added that day. When we listen to different voices, especially ones we don’t agree with, we expand our mind and heart. We grow as a people. And that growth prepares us for the future.
Listening is a commitment to hope. When those people heard the good news, they were filled with hope for what God was doing. It was a fresh start. That’s what listening can do—it plants seeds of hope where there was doubt, it brings light where there was darkness. It opens the door to growth. So, what does that mean for us right now? Maybe it’s about listening to someone in your family who feels unheard. Or taking the time to listen to someone who’s normally overlooked. Or opening your heart to a friend whose story is different from yours. Maybe it’s listening to your own voice inside, letting God’s Spirit speak and guide you. The Day of Pentecost teaches us that when we stop trying to talk over each other and start truly listening, miracles happen. Barriers break down. Community grows. Love spreads. The prophet Joel, which Peter quotes in Acts 2 says this: “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young people will see visions, your old people will dream dreams.” That’s a promise that God’s Spirit will inspire us all when we open ourselves up in listening and understanding
So, let’s take that promise to heart. Let’s be people who listen deeply, speak with kindness, and build a world where every voice matters. Let this Pentecost be a day of prophecy, visions and dreams come true. May the Holy Spirit fill us today, so we speak with compassion and listen with love. amen
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