I’ve attempted something dangerous this year and instead of mostly ignoring Mother’s Day (which, after all, is not a church festival day!), I’ve leaned into it during the sermon. Partially, I was inspired by this column at Patheos from Leah Schade. Mostly, I knew we were going to try singing Micah Garnett’s hymn, “For All Mothers.”
The sermon texts for this fourth Sunday in Easter are John 10:22-30, Psalm 23, and primarily Acts 9:36-43. This Ministry Matters column from James Howell was helpful in my preparation. I started this sermon from the lecturn, moving partway through to the pulpit, to attempt to make it more clear that I’m playing with this being Tabitha’s funeral sermon.
We are gathered here today to remember our sister in Christ, Tabitha. As you know, Tabitha’s death came as a surprise. Although she had been ill, the end came quickly.
Some knew her as Tabitha, others knew her by her Greek name, Dorcas. She lived in Joppa for many years, and she impacted many people in her life. Her tender love touched all her neighbors and family.
What is there to say about her besides that she was devoted to good works and acts of charity? She understood that the good news of the Gospel set her free to love others, and that is the cause to which she devoted her life.
Compared to many, Tabitha was wealthy. We all know our Lord Jesus had something to say about the wealthy. “The love of money is the root of all evil,” Jesus once said. Although she was well-off enough to have a second story on her house, something most don’t have, Tabitha did not love her money. Instead, she used what she had for the benefit of others. You see all the tunics and other clothing she made and gave away during her life as just one small example.
For thousands of years, the faithful shall speak of her generosity and her love for the Lord, because yes, she loved the Lord.
I don’t know Tabitha’s story of coming to faith. Perhaps it was through her mother’s influence, continuing in the path of a faithful family. Perhaps Jesus himself called her, or she heard the good news from one of the apostles.
Who can say how long she followed the way of Jesus? Was she one of the ones in the crowd in person listening to the Lord? Was she present at the cross and at the empty tomb? Whenever it was, following the Lord’s command to love one another gave her life meaning.
I invite you today to take comfort in the familiar words of the 23rd Psalm. Truly, goodness and mercy shall follow all who believe all the days of our lives, and at the last, we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Now, that doesn’t mean life will be easy. All of us have faced difficult times in life, and there will be more to come. We all know saints among us like Tabitha, people who have done great things, but nevertheless have suffered, from sickness, famine, persecution, suffered even to death.
But in both the good times and the bad times, the Lord is with us, when we go through the green pastures and beside the still waters, and through the darkest valleys, through the valley of the shadow of death.
Tabitha knew this promise of eternal life. And what better legacy could there be than these widows who have gathered to mourn her, wearing and showing off the gifts she provided for them? There is a lesson here for each of us, to live in a way that will be remembered, to generously use our gifts for others.
So I ask you, sisters and brothers in Christ, how will you live out your faith? How will you follow the example of our dear departed Tabitha?
Perhaps you will follow her example directly, and make quilts to share, or prayer shawls to bring comfort in times of need. Perhaps you’ll bring some food between our meetings to slip into the common cart to be shared with the hungry.
Perhaps, two thousand years in the future, faithful people of God will remember Tabitha when they bring supplies for school kits, or hand-sew backpacks to hold them, or pack meals for children around the world they’ll never meet, or provide Christmas presents for families in the neighborhood. Personally, I think of the group from church who got together to build a wheelchair ramp for my father-in-law after he was hit by a vehicle and both his legs were broken.
How will you use your resources for God’s glory rather than for your own? What impact will you make that will live on after you are no longer with us?
You can imagine Tabitha’s funeral sermon continuing for a while in that vein, probably including some of her hobbies, perhaps her favorite scripture, maybe talking to her family. We don’t know a lot about her, like if she had children or not, or if her parents were living, or if her siblings were there, but we know there were people there grieving for her. The goal of life is not to have a lot of people weeping at your funeral, but it’s not a bad side effect of living a generous life.
As it happened, some of the disciples in her church in Joppa send not just one but two messengers to Lydda to summon Peter. I don’t know if they thought Peter would be able to help, or if they simply wanted him to know, to come and grieve with them. Maybe they wanted him to come and preach the funeral sermon.
But as it turns out, God is not done with Tabitha. Her story isn’t over.
The challenge with miracle stories is that we don’t often see them around us. I’ve prayed for lots of people who are sick, and I’ve prayed with families after a loved one has died, and no matter how good of a person they are, not once has the dead person opened their eyes and sat up.
I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, or that God can’t work that way; I’m just saying I’ve never seen it and I don’t really expect to, as much as I would like to. But this miracle story does do two things for us.
First, it proves that the church is the body of Christ. Jesus himself had done this kind of miracle a few times before. Much of this story sounds like the more familiar story of Jesus raising Lazarus, doesn’t it?
Now it’s the apostle’s turn. Jesus is no longer physically walking around, but his ministry and mission of resurrection have been passed on to the church, passed on to us. Jesus is still at work calling God’s people to life.
Second, this story gives us hope for all the losses we experience, all the funerals we attend. Our Christian hope is not so much for someone to walk in and call the person back to earthly life, but that their story is also not over, that God’s not done with them yet either.
The promise we heard Jesus make in the gospel reading from John 10 is true for all of us. There is nothing that can snatch us out of our good shepherd’s hand – not even death.
At some point in the future, Tabitha dies again, more permanently this time, but that doesn’t end her story either.
Hearing this story of Tabitha on Mother’s Day is a coincidence, and like I said, we don’t know if Tabitha was herself a mother or not, but this story is still fitting for today. In particular, Tabitha is the only woman in the Bible explicitly named as a “disciple.” Even with how little we know about her, she is still a great role model.
Being a mother does not mean you need to be good at sewing and making garments like Tabitha. Hopefully we all know better than to pigeonhole mothers or any other group of people into particular areas of ministry. We all have different gifts and callings, and God can use all of them.
But for some people, a calling to motherhood can be a great way to be devoted to good works and to charity. Being a parent is not everyone’s calling, but it can be a wonderful way to leave a legacy. It certainly gives you many opportunities to practice patience and grow in faith!
I do know Mother’s Day can be a painful holiday for some people. Maybe you had a terrible mother, or no mother present at all in your life. Maybe you’ve longed to be a mother and it hasn’t been possible. Maybe you’re not called to motherhood, and that’s just fine. We’re not going to single out anyone or ask mothers to stand. It’s a complicated holiday.
Our hymn of the day today is called “For All Mothers.” As we sing, I invite you to think not just of your own mother, but of all the women who have helped shape you.
Think of the women in the church like Tabitha, who have helped show you how to serve others. Give thanks for the women in your life who have helped you grow in faith.
And may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen