Today’s message for the fourth Sunday in Easter focuses on the story of Tabitha from Acts 9:36-43 and the good life and legacy she lived – even before Peter raised her from the dead! This sermon is a very lightly adapted repeat of a message I wrote for this same Sunday in 2019, another year when the story of Tabitha happened to fall on Mother’s Day.
That original sermon was inspired by this column at Patheos from Leah Schade, as well as Micah Garnett’s hymn, “For All Mothers” which followed directly after the sermon. This Ministry Matters column from James Howell was also helpful in my preparation. Today’s Scripture readings are Acts 9:36-43, Psalm 23, and John 10:22-30.
Here’s the sermon podcast from Living Hope and the full worship livestream from Christ the King:
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Grace and peace from God our Father and our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen
We are gathered here this morning 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. Living in Joppa for many years, her tender love impacted many people, 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, God’s people will speak of her generosity and her love for the Lord, because yes, she loved the Lord. She cared for the body of Christ.
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 for sure 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.
As we remember our sister Tabitha, I invite you 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 seasons, 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 gathered widows, wearing and showing off gifts she provided as they mourn? May we too seek to live in a way that will be remembered, to generously use our gifts for others.
So I ask you, siblings 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, making quilts and hats to share, or prayer shawls to bring comfort in times of need. Perhaps you’ll bring some food between our gatherings to slip into barrel 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 hygiene kits, give to VBS, or cook meals for a shelter, or donate diapers 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?
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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.
There’s a lot we don’t know about her, if she had children, if her parents were living, but we know people had gathered to grieve for her. Having a lot of people to weep at your funeral is not a great life goal, 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’s not done with Tabitha. Her story wasn’t over.
The challenge I always have with preaching miracle stories like this 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 or generous 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.
And yet, 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 to act in Jesus’ name. 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 offers 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 Jesus makes in 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 is still not the end of her story. Death does not end God’s love for God’s people.
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. I’m 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 to shape your life and faith.