because we insist on speaking a language that was once fruitful but is now incomprehensible. To postmodern sensibilities, the crucifixion of Jesus was nothing more than a primitive, barbaric, pointless death. At Pentecost, the people gathered were ‘surprised’ to hear Jesus’ followers communicating to them in their own language and, as a result, they became a captive audience, willing to listen because they were able to understand. In the same way, the Christian community needs to ‘surprise’ its contemporaries