How dull would THAT be?

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 

When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 

Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,  Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” -- Acts 2:5-12

(Feeling sleepy? Read those names out loud and wake up your brain.)

The Book of Acts is an interesting read, especially at the beginning, because it reflects on the days immediately following the crucifixion of Jesus and, in this passage, the arrival of the Holy Spirit and his effects on the early followers of Jesus.

Remember, immediately before this passage, the faithful were terrified. Jesus had shown up briefly to tell them to remain in one place and do nothing-- until they received the Spirit. Meanwhile, all around them was chaos, fear and a general atmosphere of craziness. (I imagine they were perfectly happy staying indoors, doors locked and shades drawn, so to speak.)

On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit, like tongues of fire, filled the believers, and all manner of mayhem ensued.

Every person heard them speaking-- in the listener's own native language! And they were amazed, frightened, confused-- all of the above.

This was the amazing way God chose to do things. And I find it fascinating.

God could have chosen to confine his Spirit to just the small group, let them sit around with fellow believers and speak just to one another. That would have been safe. No risk-taking there. No chance of sharing anything special with someone who was "different," who maybe spoke a different language or maybe even believed a different set of beliefs. 

Nope, God chose to "mix it up." Even as some observers chose to take the cheap shots and accuse those speaking in many languages of being drunk first thing in the morning, God placed different folks together.

And I am thinking, today, about how we still need this same "mix-it-up" philosophy in our lives.

If I surround myself only with people who walk like me, talk like me, think like me, dress like me-- any or all of the above-- before long I am likely to become bored. That, or I am liable to project what "my group" thinks/ does onto the whole world and assume, without ever asking, thinking or questioning, that "our" way is the best way.

Dangerous stuff. Seriously.

But at the same time, it's a little scary and sometimes intimidating to hang around people whose beliefs might challenge my worldview or my way of thinking.

I believe that is not only okay, it's necessary. 

How can we get along in this ever-burgeoning global community if we do not have any desire to meet "the other" in our global neighborhood? How can I understand the plight of the poor if I have never spent even five minutes with someone who struggles to make ends meet?

How can I relate to a person of another faith-- or even of another Protestant denomination-- if I choose to dissociate myself from anyone who will not march to my dogmatic steps? We can learn so much from one another!

Is my God that small, that I can keep him in my own personal space? Assign to him my own limited list of attributes? (My God hates boxes, does not even come close to fitting in any box I can create. Keeps kicking out the sides, for pity's sake.)

My husband always said-- and I agree-- that the strongest leaders are those who are not afraid of ideas, even if they are different from the leader's own.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to begin a conversation with someone who does not think like you. Maybe you aren't quite ready for that yet? Friend someone, a public figure, on Facebook. Open your ears, set aside your preconceived notions, be still-- and listen. Listen attentively. Then politely take your turn. (I wager that if you have listened well, the other will, also. That is how it tends to work: we get what we give.) Ask questions, and do not interrupt the answer. Try not to form judgments in your mind.

Then-- just sit. Be quiet and ruminate over what you have just done. Huh. Hmmmm. 

You will never be the same. And your world will have grown, all because you chose to take a risk and move beyond your immediate circle of like-thinkers.

Come, Holy Spirit. Find your way into our hearts and unite us. Move us beyond our zones, out of our comfortable spaces and into a wider circle of your holy love. Amen.