Death of Dorcas
Acts 9:36-39
All the widows stood…weeping and showing the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. v. 39b
As the first disciples went out into the world, they encountered many good people. Tabitha (or Dorcas in Greek) lived in Lydda. Well-known for her generosity, charity, and good works, Dorcas, however, died. Not only her family felt her loss, but also the many who had received her generosity.
She apparently had a God-given gift as a seamstress. She used that gift not only for herself and her own family, but to benefit those in her community. Widows were set adrift when a husband died. These women were left without economic support and had to depend on the charity of others to survive. Dorcas made sure that these women had more than rags to wear.
People like Dorcas still run clothes closets especially for women and children. Thousands of mostly women sew quilts and tie blankets to give away to the survivors of natural disasters and unnatural migrations of refugees escaping war and violence.
Most of us can’t imagine losing everything in a fire, flood, tornado, or hurricane. Yet that is very near to what the widows of Lydda experienced. They faced a life with nothing. What a gift someone like Dorcas was to them. What a grief they felt at her time of death.
We might ask ourselves, “Would anyone grieve our passing because of our great generosity and our good works?” Will anyone say of us, “you know, she (he) would give you the shirt off his back?”
Dorcas was given another chance to fulfill this God-given ministry that she did among the widows. Through Peter, God gave her life back. The truth is we don’t have that opportunity. This life and this time is our chance to serve those in need. We live our days in the shadow of the cross and in light of the resurrection. These are the days to be generous.
Pray: O God who clothes the world in beauty, we give thanks for quilters and those who make and give away clothes. May these things made with loving hands provide comfort, warmth and dignity to those who receive them and joy to those who give them. Amen.
Fast: By purging one item from your clothes closet each day.
Act: Purchase laundry supplies (basket, soap, towels, sheets, quarters) for
foster children aging out of foster care.
OR contribute $1 to Lutheran World Relief
...the least of these... 