My daughter and I were recently pondering a fun question: if you could have any superpower, what would it be? We quickly agreed that the ability to understand and speak any language would be incredible. (She added she’d love to do the same with animals, too!) It’s a simple wish, but it points to something deeply human — the desire to connect across differences and be truly understood.

Just a week ago, we reflected on the Ascension — a moment filled with both farewell and promise. Jesus’s departure left a sense of loss but also the hopeful promise of the Spirit’s coming. Pentecost is that promised arrival, the ‘now what?’ moment when hope begins to take shape in new ways — in unexpected voices, in new languages, and in the courage to listen across divides. As we face a world still marked by conflict and hardship, Pentecost invites us to hold onto that promise of presence and connection, even when it feels most fragile.

The story from the ancient book of Acts, chapter 2, which we remember on Pentecost Sunday, describes a gathering of people from many different places and languages. Suddenly, a strong wind fills the room, and tongues of fire appear above the heads of those present. Then, the most surprising thing happens: people begin to speak in languages they had never learned, and others hear them clearly in their own tongues. Imagine the wonder — strangers suddenly able to understand each other despite their differences, breaking down the walls that usually divide.

You might hear this and think, “It’s just a myth, a metaphor, or an old religious tale.” And that’s fair. But what if we look beyond the miraculous to the deeper meaning? Pentecost, at its heart, invites us to imagine moments of radical connection — moments when our differences don’t separate us but bring us together.

Today, our world is far from perfect. War continues in Ukraine, extraordinary suffering in Gaza, and here in the UK, many endure the continued harsh realities of austerity. We also live in a time when issues of identity and belonging — including those of the LGBT+ community, especially as we mark Pride Month — remain crucial. The struggles for acceptance, respect, and inclusion are part of this wider story of seeking connection and understanding.

The Pentecost story whispers something else: even in the midst of struggle, there is the possibility of new beginnings and belonging. This isn’t about ignoring pain or pretending that peace will come overnight. It’s about recognising that hope can take many forms — resilience in hardship, the courage to listen across divides, and small acts of kindness that ripple outwards. Just as the people in that ancient room found a way to speak and understand each other, so can we find ways to connect across our own divides — be they political, cultural, personal, or about identity.

Pentecost challenges us to be open, to consider what ‘speaking in new languages’ might mean for us today. Could it be learning to listen more deeply? To see the world through another’s eyes? To find common ground where we least expect it?

Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, the story invites reflection on how we build bridges in a broken world. It encourages us to keep faith — not necessarily in miracles, but in the human capacity for change, connection, and inclusion.

As this Pentecost Sunday unfolds, I don’t have the superpower of understanding all languages, but perhaps we can all carry a quiet hope: that from the chaos and hardship — the wars, the suffering, the economic struggles — new voices of understanding might emerge. That from our differences, something unifying and life-giving can grow. And that, even now, there is room for renewal.