About Tabitha or do we mean Dorcas?

About Tabitha or do we mean Dorcas? The gift of new life, of eternal life, is the gift of the risen Christ. It is the promise of Jesus. It was true for Dorcas in Joppa. It was true for those “who have come out of the great ordeal” in the Revelation vision. It is true for us. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let’s begin with a little about Luke. Luke’s is the third gospel, but he also wrote the book of Acts. Unlike other gospel writers, he is the only one who writes both a gospel and an account of early ministry happening after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. In Acts, he continues his style of placing stories of both prominent men and prominent women side by side. Today’s snippet from Acts is a story about Tabitha (otherwise known as Dorcas) which precedes the story about Cornelius. Furthermore, Luke is the only one who names a female disciple, and additionally, a female disciple whom he recognizes as one who is doing the work of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Tabitha is known to Peter and when he is called to come quickly, it appears that no questions are asked, and he comes. Their relationship, it appears, was one of mutual respect. Tabitha is a seamstress and sews clothing for the widows who are generally thought to be poor. She does this out of her own money. She is self-sacrificial. When she dies, the other widows of her group grieve much because, like Peter, they recognize her contribution to them. Peter helps them out because he cares about them. Peter responds, and when he gets there, he responds with compassion. Peter and his fellow disciples as well as the women believe in the power of prayer and the power of the Word. They have their own separate ministries as men and women, but they also interact. If you have studied the early church, you know that this is a long-standing pattern of ministry. In modern societal terms, categories of behaviors could be described as verboten, permissible, or “I should do what my conscience or best judgement tells me.” For those of you that don’t know what the word verboten means, it is a German word meaning forbidden. Societal norms often include a code of law that determines what behaviors are not acceptable. In this country, we have many layers of law at local, state, and federal levels. We have similar rules determined by the church also regarding what behaviors are not acceptable. Those rules can be more restrictive than that of society to assure appropriate behavior, mostly as it applies to adult behaviors. Next is permissible behavior. It is permissible if not encouraged to work towards the betterment of others according to both church and society. It is respectable to be polite, to show mutual respect to and for others. Permissible behavior is learning how to get along with others. Although as Christians we tend to think of “Do what your conscience tells you to do, use your best judgement” as being a rule of life, based, of course on scripture, there are times when we don’t take into account different age groups, those who work, those who are retired, men and women, divorced, children---or maybe we do, but can’t figure out a way to meet the needs of simply being supportive of each other, not just in times of crisis, but more often. It is important to provide for a support group. Activities, yes, but support for each other is paramount. We have new people in our midst, and we should welcome them. Now, nearly post-COVID, is a good time to re-group and consider how to incorporate what shape supporting each other will take. Consider being flexible and consider including in current groups and allowing for the formation of new groups. Remember most of all, it’s no so much the activity of meeting together, but getting to know each other and capitalizing on the support we can give each other in those activities. God works through us. It is the support that helps us grow as Christians, Christians who are called to go out into the world sharing the news that Jesus is alive and He is risen! Alleluia! *Connections, Year C, Volume 2, pp. 233-236. *New Proclamation Year C, Easter through Pentecost, 2004, p. 39. *Feasting on the Word, Year C Vol. 2, pp. 426-431. *Acts, Gerhard A. Krodel, pp. 184-186. *Connections, Year C, Volume 2, pp. 233-236. *New Proclamation Year C, Easter through Pentecost, 2004, p. 39. *Feasting on the Word, Year C Vol. 2, pp. 426-431. *Acts, Gerhard A. Krodel, pp. 184-186.