A Tapestry of Tongues

Available for over a year

Good morning. I’m really looking forward to the end of next month because I am going to Copenhagen to celebrate our son’s marriage. Josh is half British, half Maltese and his fiancé, Sasha, is Ukrainian. They live in Germany, go walking in Austria at the weekends and are getting married in Denmark for administrative reasons. They are currently thinking about what languages they will speak at home once their first child is born. Sasha has brought such blessing to our family. This is mostly because she is a wonderful person! But it’s also because she has brought with her a whole new world of Ukrainian culture food and language, not least some really helpful new words. For instance, I gather that Ukrainian has two different words for cherries, depending on whether they are sour or sweet. I’ve officiated at and attended lots of weddings, but of course this one will be extra special, largely because it’s our own son, but also because of the opportunity to encounter a whole host of cultures and languages. It feels a little like the first Pentecost in the Bible when the holy spirit enabled the first followers of the risen Jesus to speak all kinds of different languages. The world would be a really boring place if we all spoke the same language and ate the same food. Our family’s experience has been that cultural diversity has brought richness and colour to our lives. God of Pentecost, you made women and men in your image and likeness, and yet no two of us are alike. This tells us that you are a God of infinite variety and complexity, and that you rejoice in difference. Help us to see those of other cultures and religions as a blessing to us and not a threat, In the name of Jesus, who welcomed the outsider, Amen.