Babble at Church

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" (v. 4-7)

When the reader reached this point in today's reading, she paused. One by one, several members of the congregation stood and repeated those verses in a number of languages. Occasionally at Pentecost, we have heard them all read at once, recreating a semblance of the babble that was heard at the first Pentecost. And we've done it one language at a time.

This year, for the first time in a very long time, I signed the verses in ASL (American Sign Language). It has been nearly 10 years since I've taken any classes, and I'm very rusty. I fumbled a couple of signs and left out one. It was still effective, given the comments I heard from several people.

Now and again I think about taking up ASL again. There is a group that meets a couple of times a month at the LBGT Community Center in the City, but it meets rather late on a weeknight for someone commuting. I suppose I should look locally. I know one of the "deaf" congregations in our diocese meets in a nearby town.

Of course, I should also be taking Spanish given our work at the Church Center. And I'd like to brush up on my German and French...

Peace,
Jeffri