Get Up! - Acts 9:36-43 (Easter 4C)
Now, this is kind of a strange story, and one that almost doesn't seem appropriate for Mother's Day. Even though there's a resurrection in our story today, there's no mention of Jesus. The witnesses were even sent out of the room, so what's he trying to pull... There's really no explanation for this other than Peter trying to toot his own horn.
But here's the spoiler - this story isn't about Peter. This story is about the impact that Tabitha has made on her community. She saw the others among her, especially the poor, the first says in the Living Bible translation. She was a seamstress and so she did what she could with what she had.
When she died, the room was filled with mourners, people who knew her, and who had been helped by her. The description that Luke gave focuses on who she was to her community. The first word describing her, which is DISCIPLE... this is the only time in the New Testament this word is used in a feminine form. Some translations instead use the word "believer" (as in one in the community of the Way - those who follow Jesus). But the male version of the word happens in the four gospels and the book of Acts 246 times.. and yet here we are with a named female disciple. For those who don't believe that women should be preaching or teaching, look - it's biblical that women are disciples.
Anyway - we know that she is a woman, and a widow at that. So, like I've talked about much before, she would be at the bottom of the power structure in the Jewish and Gentile contexts. But yet this is who is chosen by God to be lifted up, with her ministry of love and grace among her community of widows. I was wondering why they listed her name, and then it translated in Greek - that may be that because she explored the community in both realms. She was not someone who remained isolated.
Many of us will be giving flowers to our mothers today, whether we got them at a florist, or a garden center, or picked them from our own gardens or even the side of the road. They project beauty and grace. My kids like picking the many dandelions in my yard and bring them in. They want to put them in a vase as I cringe. "For mommy," they say. But sometimes I oblige and find a small cup or something to put the tiny flowers in. Because it's not about the actual weeds sitting in my kitchen. It's that my kids want to tell their mom they love her.
Tabitha was known for who she was, giving all she had to those who could do nothing for her. And yet, those who were mourning, they called for Peter. I don't want to project here what they thought that he could do. But they had men running to find Peter... they show up wherever Peter might be, tell him the story, and with urgency... "Please come at once!" So he does. He knows that he's walking into a tumultous situation. This woman had been so loved by her community that there is now a gaping hole where she lay. But he goes anyway, without hesitation.
Notice again - they only asked for his presence. It's not said that they're asking for healing, or for revival, or even a miracle. They just want him there. They want HIM to be a witness to the miracle that Tabitha was to those she loved. The other widows and those gathered showing off the garments that this poor widow had made. Stephen Jones writes, “The helpful distinction is between praying for a cure, which seems to dictate to God our desired outcome, and praying for healing, which can come in a hundred unexpected ways. God's Spirit will intervene on behalf of our prayers, yet the healing that comes often surprises us and causes us to catch our collective breath...Communal healing requires that we overcome the intense privacy and individualism that are the cultural icons of our day.”
I'm going to pause for a moment.... and just ask a question. Who are the Tabithas you know? Are there any truly devoted to service to also be the center of their community? The one who seems to lift up anyone and everyone? Maybe it was a grandmother, or an aunt, or even a former church member. It doesn't have to be anyone you're related to, just someone that you know. How have those Tabithas planted seeds of hope, of faith, of love - in you, or in that community that they are at the core of?
So now Peter and Tabitha (who is still dead) are there in the room by themselves, and all Peter says is "Get up!" I imagine Peter was not quiet about this... but somehow, the Spirit that compelled him to this room, was present in her, and made her wake, and sit up! Imagine the miracle! So he calls all those waiting into the room to show what God had done. What's the result? Verse 42 says that "This spread around the city... many people came to believe in the Lord". Hallelujah almighty!
What does this have to do with Mother's Day, you may have to ask? For one, I bet if I don't talk about it, there may be some stinging voicemails on my phone later. I'm just kidding. But seriously - this woman who was a matriarch to her community, who was the last one who may have been raised up in society, is given the chance to GET UP one last time for the community who supported her.
And those seeds that were planted by the Tabithas I asked each of you about... may those blossom into the beautiful flowers and that you can share with those who are at the center of each of your communities. Because being a mother is not just about the biological function - hopefully we all have had women in our lives who have been supportive and caring, nurturing and honest, faithful and devoted - whether they were family, coworkers, or friends.
Some people have this notion that faith alone will justify their salvation, meaning that . In the Methodist church, we believe that we are justified in forgiveness, and that we are sanctified being made just and righteous. John Wesley gave the analogy of a house. He said repentance is the porch, faith is the door, but holy living is the house itself. In Judaism the concept of grace is begun, when God redeems so many communities who do not deserve it, just because of who God is. The story of Jesus’ sacrifice and mercy reinforces this story of grace, but it also demands of Christians that we show our faith by actively caring for others. Tabitha did good works not because she was trying to get God’s love - which cannot be earned - but in grateful response to God’s generous love and mercy which was already given!
So - may we get up from here, like Tabitha, and know that Easter is not the end! We need not be overwhelmed by grief when we have a community that can help with healing. The miracle here is that our call as Christians is that when we hear, may we get up and follow faithfully.
Amen.
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