Eastertide

May 6, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:36-43

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

A well-known, respected Christian writer Rachel Held Evans died recently at the age of 37. It is hard to face the death of anyone we love and harder to understand how such a gifted person could die so young. I am sure that was how all of Tabitha’s friends and family felt. The New Testament only shares the stories of the people who were returned to life but surely there were many more families and friends to whom Jesus and his disciples ministered in their grief.  The same could be said for those who were healed and others who were not. Why? Why did any children have to die in our scourge of school shootings and why those particular children? Jesus said that it rains of the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) but that, while a fact, is little comfort. It is important that he said it as it somewhat puts to rest thoughts that death was punishment for sin.

There is no easy answer. Someone said after the Oklahoma City bombing that when it happened the first heart that was broken was God’s. I believe that is true. We live in a world in progress. We were given the gift of free will at our creation and the result of that is life is not perfect and we are thus challenged every day to work toward God’s wholeness for all, which seems to move at a snails pace at times but then a breakthrough happens and we know that God is traveling with us on our journey toward God’s perfection.

Prayer: Lord, we pray for those who have lost loved ones and those who have experienced the joy of healing. Guide us as we strive toward wholeness in your love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.