28 May Wonders of God in ‘Cosmic’ Own Tongues

Day of Pentecost

WONDERS OF GOD IN ‘COSMIC’ OWN TONGUES

“….. declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”. ….. “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:11-12 NIV).

There are two basic messages in the event of Pentecost in Acts: the heavenly “energy” that comes through tongues of fire and the borderless participation of the believers. The event where the Triune God enabled the many tongues to declare divine wonders reminds me of Rev. Jaulung Wismar Saragih (1888-1968), a first Simalungun Christian Protestant Church’s Priest who is also the first Indonesian who translated the Bible into his local Simalungun language. He extends the legacy of Pentecost that emphasizes all languages are the languages of God. All languages may declare the wonders of God.

However, Pentecost is not only about human native languages. The book of Acts witnesses the marvellous works of God through the many native languages: the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,

Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene, Rome, Cretans, and Arabs (vs 9-12). Since the empire of Rome used Greek as the officially dominating language, these languages were rarely heard in the liturgy and politics of Biblical times. As the people of Jerusalem were wondrously amazed by asking: “What does this mean?” (v. 12). I am also evocatively curious to articulate what does the phrase “What does this mean?” means today, after borderlessly travelling for 2000 years.

If God recognizes the unheard voices, as many native languages above (vs 9-12), and employ it as the agency of God’s wonders, don’t we think we need to sincerely and carefully reimagine what or whose unheard language that the Holy Spirit invites us to hear today? We repeatedly read the phrase our “own language” (v. 6), “our native” (v. 7) and “our own tongues” (v. 11). Of course, the word “our” is an inclusive, plural, and equal expression. We need to extend it not only in an anthropocentric sense but cosmic native language. We need to listen to the unheard cosmic languages which continuously cry through the burned forest, polluted ocean, contaminated air, land, and water, extinction of creation, and the rise of the earth’s temperature, to name a few. Their native natural-environmental languages are interconnected parts of “ours”, too. Cosmic tongues are an inseparable part of humans’ conversely. Cosmic and human bodies are inter-being. Moreover, cosmic is also God’s official agency that faithfully declares God’s wonders. Thus, Pentecost is not only about the existence of human tongues but also cosmic tongues.

May the cosmic’s voiceless voice be heard. May the cosmic’s ecological-Pentecostal agency be recognized. Let the cosmic speak in its native tongues. Let Pentecost be a cosmic Pentecost. “What does this mean?” It means to let the creation celebrate the cosmic Pentecost and declare the wonders of God in its own tongues.

prayer

Triune God, on this holy day of Pentecost, let the energy of the Holy Spirit (Ruah), Our Divine Mother, enthusiastically burn in our hearts as you recognize our voice, empower us to recognize the mother earth’s oppressed voice also that we all may declare your wonders. Amen!

for further thought

Reflect upon how we would hear the voice of creation when it proclaims the wonders of God!

Parulihan Sipayung

Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungun