In our reading from Acts this morning we hear the story of Tabitha (her Aramaic name), also known as Dorcas (her Greek name). Tabitha is named in this story as a disciple, which may seem a bit unremarkable, except that it’s the only time the feminine form of “disciple” (in the original Greek) is used in the New Testament! We know about Jesus’ original twelve disciples, who were all men. And we know that other women, including Joanna, and Mary Magdalene, and other Marys, followed Jesus closely and provided for his ministry, but none but Tabitha are given the title “disciple”.
Tabitha was beloved by her community, and though we don’t know much about her, we know that she was devoted to good works and acts of charity. She was a student, a follower of the way of Jesus, and her faith bore fruit in these acts of love and care for her neighbor.
It happened that Tabitha became ill and died. We can imagine how devastating it was to her friends and loved ones. How could this happen to someone who followed Jesus so closely and was doing such good and holy work?
As her friends gathered to mourn her death, I can picture them sharing stories through their tears. Tabitha must have been a seamstress, and the women who gathered brought with them the clothes that Tabitha had made. How special it must have been to receive one of her own lovingly-made creations! How special they must have felt at those times they were wearing a tunic or article of clothing that Tabitha had cut and stitched and prayed over. What a shining example of faith had been living and working among them. How sad it was that she was gone.
Yesterday I attended an excellent workshop put on by our synod resource center, led by Pastor Dave Daubert. The theme centered around story, particularly the three stories every Christian needs to know.
The first story is the biblical story, told with a Lutheran voice. The story of God’s ongoing relationship with all of creation; of God’s work of reconciliation and redemption; of the life and ministry and death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s son; of the Church, those followers of Jesus who couldn’t help but tell the story of God’s love and welcome for all people.
The second story is your faith story. How did you first hear about Jesus? What brought you to this community of believers? When or how do you experience God’s presence most closely? How does God continue to strengthen and empower and send you out to love and serve your neighbors?
The third story is the congregation’s story. What is its history? Who were those faithful people who came together to be a community of believers? What is its present? What are the ways we as a congregation are answering God’s call? How are we showing love for God and our neighbors through our words and actions?
These three stories are interwoven in each of our lives, and each of these stories provide connection points with others as we share about God’s presence and faithfulness to our ancestors in the faith, to us, and to our congregation.
As I was thinking about today’s reading from Acts in light of that workshop, I was drawn to the image of the women who gathered at Tabitha’s side in her illness and to mourn her death. I was struck by what an important role Tabitha must have played in their own faith stories. Particularly today as we observe Mother’s Day, I wonder: who are the women in your life who were like Tabitha to you? Who are the women who told you about Jesus, who cared for you and served you, who were devoted to good works and acts of charity? Perhaps your mother, or grandmother. Or maybe an aunt, or Sunday School teacher, or neighbor.
Take a few moments to think about a woman whose strong faith was an example or encouragement for you, and then turn to someone next to you and share those stories with one another.
…
Strong women have always played a role in passing down the stories of faith, and it is a joy to bring those stories to the surface and share them with one another.
As we think of these stories in light of the story of Tabitha, perhaps you feel, like I do, a twinge of sadness or anger or confusion – yes, Tabitha’s ministry was important, and in her resurrection she was able to continue her work of support and care for others.
But what about all the other strong women of faith who died with equally important work left undone? How do we celebrate Tabitha’s resurrection when, in every other case, our prayers for miracles seemed to go unanswered? I am thinking in particular of Rachel Held Evans, an author and theologian who wrote powerfully about the Bible and faith and our life together as Christians. She died last weekend very suddenly at the age of 37. I am sad for her family, certainly, and also for all the books and tweets and blog and Facebook posts left unwritten. Sure, Tabitha’s resurrection is great, but what about Rachel? And what about all of your dear loved ones who died too soon with good, holy work yet to be done?
I never did land on a satisfactory answer for myself, but I was drawn to a verse at the end of this passage. We hear that Tabitha’s resurrection became known throughout Joppa and many believed in the Lord because of it. But I imagine that even before Peter came, even before he turned to her to say, “Tabitha, get up,” many believed in the Lord because of her actions of love and care, because of the way her light shone through good works pointed others to God. Certainly many people believed in the Lord because of Rachel, and because of the women whose stories you all shared with one another this morning.
After Rachel’s death, many people on social media began sharing what her work meant to them, and how she influenced their lives of faith with the hashtag #BecauseofRHE (her initials). There are many powerful stories there, reminders of the web of connections we have and the ways our faith is strengthened in community.
We give thanks to God for Tabitha, for the Holy Spirit that empowers us and creates faith, and for many other disciples – strong women of faith who nurtured and cared for us, who prayed with us and for us, who taught us the stories of God’s love and care. Because of Tabitha, because of RHE, because of Mary, because of so many others, we have come to believe in the Lord.
Tabitha was beloved by her community, and though we don’t know much about her, we know that she was devoted to good works and acts of charity. She was a student, a follower of the way of Jesus, and her faith bore fruit in these acts of love and care for her neighbor.
It happened that Tabitha became ill and died. We can imagine how devastating it was to her friends and loved ones. How could this happen to someone who followed Jesus so closely and was doing such good and holy work?
 |
| Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash |
Yesterday I attended an excellent workshop put on by our synod resource center, led by Pastor Dave Daubert. The theme centered around story, particularly the three stories every Christian needs to know.
The first story is the biblical story, told with a Lutheran voice. The story of God’s ongoing relationship with all of creation; of God’s work of reconciliation and redemption; of the life and ministry and death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s son; of the Church, those followers of Jesus who couldn’t help but tell the story of God’s love and welcome for all people.
The second story is your faith story. How did you first hear about Jesus? What brought you to this community of believers? When or how do you experience God’s presence most closely? How does God continue to strengthen and empower and send you out to love and serve your neighbors?
The third story is the congregation’s story. What is its history? Who were those faithful people who came together to be a community of believers? What is its present? What are the ways we as a congregation are answering God’s call? How are we showing love for God and our neighbors through our words and actions?
These three stories are interwoven in each of our lives, and each of these stories provide connection points with others as we share about God’s presence and faithfulness to our ancestors in the faith, to us, and to our congregation.
As I was thinking about today’s reading from Acts in light of that workshop, I was drawn to the image of the women who gathered at Tabitha’s side in her illness and to mourn her death. I was struck by what an important role Tabitha must have played in their own faith stories. Particularly today as we observe Mother’s Day, I wonder: who are the women in your life who were like Tabitha to you? Who are the women who told you about Jesus, who cared for you and served you, who were devoted to good works and acts of charity? Perhaps your mother, or grandmother. Or maybe an aunt, or Sunday School teacher, or neighbor.
Take a few moments to think about a woman whose strong faith was an example or encouragement for you, and then turn to someone next to you and share those stories with one another.
…
Strong women have always played a role in passing down the stories of faith, and it is a joy to bring those stories to the surface and share them with one another.
As we think of these stories in light of the story of Tabitha, perhaps you feel, like I do, a twinge of sadness or anger or confusion – yes, Tabitha’s ministry was important, and in her resurrection she was able to continue her work of support and care for others.
But what about all the other strong women of faith who died with equally important work left undone? How do we celebrate Tabitha’s resurrection when, in every other case, our prayers for miracles seemed to go unanswered? I am thinking in particular of Rachel Held Evans, an author and theologian who wrote powerfully about the Bible and faith and our life together as Christians. She died last weekend very suddenly at the age of 37. I am sad for her family, certainly, and also for all the books and tweets and blog and Facebook posts left unwritten. Sure, Tabitha’s resurrection is great, but what about Rachel? And what about all of your dear loved ones who died too soon with good, holy work yet to be done?
I never did land on a satisfactory answer for myself, but I was drawn to a verse at the end of this passage. We hear that Tabitha’s resurrection became known throughout Joppa and many believed in the Lord because of it. But I imagine that even before Peter came, even before he turned to her to say, “Tabitha, get up,” many believed in the Lord because of her actions of love and care, because of the way her light shone through good works pointed others to God. Certainly many people believed in the Lord because of Rachel, and because of the women whose stories you all shared with one another this morning.
After Rachel’s death, many people on social media began sharing what her work meant to them, and how she influenced their lives of faith with the hashtag #BecauseofRHE (her initials). There are many powerful stories there, reminders of the web of connections we have and the ways our faith is strengthened in community.
We give thanks to God for Tabitha, for the Holy Spirit that empowers us and creates faith, and for many other disciples – strong women of faith who nurtured and cared for us, who prayed with us and for us, who taught us the stories of God’s love and care. Because of Tabitha, because of RHE, because of Mary, because of so many others, we have come to believe in the Lord.
Comments
Post a Comment