Where Do We Go From Here

18 Reflect “I don’t understand”, is one of the most common experiences of human life. “I won’t understand”, is equally common - and tragically sad. “I will learn to understand” , is a doorway to authentic relationship. The vast majority of native English speakers in Australia are mono- lingual. Even those of us who have travelled extensively usually find someone who speaks enough English to make us feel understood and welcome. Despite this, many of us have had moments overseas – and at home - when our linguistic ignorance has left us feeling isolated. Standing to one side as people converse, often in more than one language, can lead to feelings of exclusion and inadequacy. When someone opens the door to our inclusion by addressing us in English, we experience being seen and valued. If this is difficult for us on an occasional basis imagine what it is like for non-English speaking migrants and refugees during their first months and years in Australia. The Pentecost experience, for so many of the gathered pilgrims, was probably quite a shock. Perhaps these visitors, migrant workers and traders in Jerusalem spoke enough of one of the local languages to make basic conversation, but to hear people speaking in their native tongue must have felt like a cool breeze on a hot day. Surely, here were people who would understand them, who knew who they were. How odd it must have been to realise that those speaking were not their countrymen or women, but foreigners touched by God’s Spirit.