An Eastertide
Celebration: She Lives!
Acts 9.36-42
May 2, 2004
Amy Jacks Dean
Three years ago, when I preached on the raising of Tabitha from the dead, I said, “Let me assure you that there are many people who are not living. They may as well be on their deathbed, because that is how their heart and head and soul feel. And the early church took care of one another and brought people back to life. I have every confidence that if Park Road Baptist Church continues to strengthen the way we care for one another - the way we take care of each other - the news will spread and people will come to us to be healed.” The Monday night following that sermon three years ago we were to have our first orientation for our first Interfaith CareLinks Care Team. In the sermon I was hopeful that we may have enough people to start more than one team. Three years later we have had 3 official teams. One brought life - real life - even in her dying - to Cathy Blackwell. Another brought life - real life in her own home - to Doris Moore. Another team even today brings life - real life - to Mary Edwards.
Tabitha took care of the widows in the community. “The widows of Joppa had only Tabitha and her faith-based initiative. The only woman in all of scripture to be called a disciple, Tabitha cared for the widows, apparently out of her own resources and in the most practical of ways -- she sewed their clothing.” (The Christian Century, Heidi A. Peterson April 18-25.1987, p. 11.) When she died the place fell apart. Someone sent for Peter. When he arrived he sent everyone out of the room and he prayed. He told her to “Get up.” And she did and there was great rejoicing and many came to believe. I would assume that this was a very important story for the early church. It was a word of hope and a word of healing: She Lives! In the midst of the people’s greatest fears: She Lives! In the midst of the people’s loneliness and despair: She Lives! In the midst of people’s deep sadness and grief: She Lives! Tabitha was a symbol of their best hope, and ours. She is a symbol of Life.
I bet the early church told and retold that story - over and over and over again. Don’t you know that every time those widows gathered at the well to get the day’s water, they told it again. Don’t you know that as they kneaded the dough for the day’s bread, they told it again. Don’t you know that as they quilted, they told it again. Don’t you know it must have been the favorite bedtime story of their children - can’t you just hear it now - tell it again, Mama - tell us about Tabitha dying and who went to get Peter and who all had to leave the room and what did Peter say - was it “Arise and walk” or was it “Be healed” or was it “Tabitha, Get up”? And what did Tabitha look like when she first walked out of that room? Who did she speak to first? And tell us again, Mama, about the feast that was cooked for her that night. What all did they eat? and who all was there for that? I’m sure that long after Tabitha died, they kept telling the story. And they told it long enough that someone finally wrote it down so that we could hear a word of hope. A word of Life. She Lives!
But did you catch that? “Long after Tabitah died.” Tabitha did eventually die, you know. I don’t know when or where or how, but she did die. But not even her death could keep the church from telling her story: She Lives! It occurred to me that it is imperative that we reread this story at least every three years, for we need to be reminded that even as we are surrounded by death: She Lives, and we are the ones with the capacity to bring Life.
Literally this weekend, we have been surrounded by death. I spoke a Good Word yesterday in celebration of the life of Anna Bullock. Russ will speak a Good Word tomorrow in celebration of the life of Evelyn Gabriel. But Tabitha’s story does not speak to me in terms of physical death. You see, Tabitha eventually does die. It is the great common denominator. In my reading this week, I was reminded of this. A professor of New Testament put it this way, “We are all really dying and we call this `living.” We all walk toward death and call this `life.’” (The Living Pulpit, July/September 1995, Minka Shura Sprague, page 28) This story, that needs to be told and retold, doesn’t need to be told in terms of an extension of this earthly life. We tend to be too mesmerized by the spectacular. We can be too distracted by the glamour. And when that happens, we risk missing the very ones who need us the most. The Eastertide Celebration today is that She Lives! The question is will we be the ones to say “Get up”?
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, the one Care Team has turned into three Care Teams in just three short years. In my opinion, they have done and are doing some of the best and most important work of the church.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have celebrated major milestones in the life of Lydia Ingraham. People in this church have given their professional expertise, their money, their time, their hearts.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have scattered the ashes of a unknown man in our Columbarium. How is this bringing life? In simply calling his name out loud on this earth, “Beloved,” we gave honor to his memory and shared our Blessed Hope.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, some of us got to know a woman through our Missions Sunday last year who lived a reclusive life – even throwing her a birthday party. I got to speak a Good Word in celebration of the life of Virginia Reece a few months ago.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have coordinated with Crisis Assistance and our satellite office opens 2 weeks from tomorrow with the help of our sister churches along Park Road.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have helped to build an Interfaith Habitat for Humanity House for the Williams Family. And also assisted with a Habitat House for Elon Homes.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, a Vision Team presented some new ways of thinking about Church. You adopted that we would Become Disciples Through Worship and Service.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha we have inched our way along to increase our mission’s budget to a tithe of our operating budget. This year we are at 9.5%. We are almost there.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have sent a delegation to Cuba with plans to form a partnership with a Baptist church there.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have sent a delegation to Ground Zero to serve food to the folks who were then still working 24/7.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have had 3 Mission Sundays helping folks in our own church and in our community.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have hosted over 200 homeless people during the cold months through Room in the Inn - providing showers for them this past year.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have served 18 lunches at the Uptown Men’s Shelter.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, the youth have been to Washington and Philadelphia on Mission Trips working with inner city kids and helping agencies in those cities who are doing incredible work.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, our children have collected money for those who are hungry and we have collected food for Loaves and Fishes and coats for Hands on Charlotte
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, we have started leading a worship service once a month at Sardis Oaks Nursing Home.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, the knitting and sewing needles have been flying – for sick babies and people who are cold and in need.
Ø Since we last read about Tabitha, children have been tutored – trying to catch those who are behind up to speed – or simply reading to children who are not read to at home.
And these are just the big ticket items! This doesn’t count all the times in the last 3 years that you have said, “Get up,” in your own quiet and individual way, and in so doing, you brought Life. This candle shines in honor of all of those folks who were dead and now they live because somehow, someway, you/we said, “Get up.” And they did. They lived. They really lived. This candle shines in memory of all those folks who are now dead, but they did live because somehow, someway, you/we said, “Get up.” And they did. And these stories need to be told and retold, over and over and over again. The Church cannot survive without learning how to celebrate the life-giving stories of our faith. We must tell them to our children and make them become their favorite bedtime story. Can’t you just hear it now: Tell it again, Mama. Tell about how Mrs. Williams lifted her hands, standing in her brand new house and said, “What I have prayed for in the heavenly realm has now come to pass in the earthly realm.” Tell is again, Mama. Tell about how Betsy Marik rolled Mary Edwards up to the front and how Mary read a thank you note to the church for giving her a Care Team. And tell me how they take her to the pottery place and they all paint together. And tell about the Christmas party they had with her. Tell it again – about how they laughed and laughed and laughed playing that silly game of stealing gifts from one another. Tell it again, Daddy. Tell about how Virginia Reece had no one – only a neighbor or 2 and how Wendy and Netta and John threw her a birthday party – with cake and balloons and everything. Tell it again, how people came to our church to get help paying their rent and they weren’t turned away or sent somewhere else, but they actually got help – right there in our Fellowship Hall. Tell it again. Tell it again. Tell it again. These stories are no different than Tabitha’s, and until we can learn to tell these stories – until we can learn to live these stories – the Church will merely exist. But when we learn to live these stories and tell them to our children and grandchildren, the Church will thrive. Never be ashamed. Never consider this bragging. We have the responsibility of saying, “Get up.” I am convinced that when we say it – undergirded with the unconditional love and amazing grace of God – when we say it, looking to Jesus as our ultimate example – we will see that indeed, she will live and he will live – all because we said, “Get Up.”
May it be so.