PENTECOST SUNDAY
And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. (Acts 2:6)
Sunday was Pentecost: the day the Christian Church celebrates the Holy Spirit in our midst. It is called Pentecost (the Greek word “fiftieth”) because it happens 50 days after Easter (as well as 50 days after the Jewish Passover).
I began my message on Sunday telling the story of an airplane that was circling above Melbourne, Australia, unable to land; and nobody knew what to do about it. The problem had never come up before. A large 14-year-old boy with Down Syndrome lay on the floor in the middle of the aisle next to his seat; and he refused to move. He was very scared…and physically ill from fear. He didn’t want to talk to anyone and he was too afraid to get up and sit in his seat. And because he was not in his seat, the pilot could not land the plane according to aviation regulations. The boy’s parents tried everything to get him back to his seat. The flight attendants tried everything. There was even a doctor on board; and he had no idea what to do. If the boy was small, they could have just picked him up; but he was a large teenager, and way to heavy to just pick up and set in his seat.
Eventually, the plane was going to run out of fuel and the crew had run out of options. Then one of the flight attendants came up with a rather novel idea: she asked if there was a teacher on board. Sophie Murphy answered the call and the flight attendant explained the situation. So Sophie went to the boy, assessed the situation…and then laid down in the aisle next to him—her head right next to his—and the conversation went something like this:
“Hi, I’m Sophie and I’m a teacher. What’s your name”
At first there was a pause, and then the boy told Sophie his name.
“It’s really nice to meet you. What’s your favorite book?”
Another pause. “Winnie the Pooh.”
“That’s MY favorite book too!”
She asked about his favorite characters in Winnie the Pooh, and they talked about their favorite characters for a minute…and the wonderful story of Winnie the Pooh.
“Well, I’m going to go back to my seat now. Would you like to come sit next to me.”
“Sure.”
So they went back to her seat and the one next to hers. (The person next to Sophie was asked to change seats and willingly agreed.) Sophie and the boy continued their conversation about Winnie the Pooh, and within minutes the plane began to descend and landed safely in Melbourne.
Sophie Murphy became a hero on that flight and her story was told all over Australia and now all over the world. When the plane landed and she was congratulated for saving the day, she said something like this: “Oh, I just did what any teacher would do. This is what we do every day in our jobs: we meet kids where they are at; we talk to them in their language; we connect with them as they are.”
When I heard this story, it occurred to me that it is what happened on the Day of Pentecost! The Apostles meet people where they were at; talked to them in their language; and connected with them as they were.” Upon this foundation the Christian Church was built, and at Koloa Union Church it is the foundation on which we thrive.
I hope you have a great week spreading the Spirit of Pentecost to everyone you encounter!
Aloha nui loa!
Kahu Alan Akana
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by the Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
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