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Get out. Please leave. Time to go.
I wonder how Peter said it. Did he yell it? There were a lot of people, a lot of commotion in that upstairs room. Did he overpower their voices with his, or quietly usher them all outside?
We don’t know how – but Peter put all of them out – before he brought resurrection in. He made some space – he prayed – and then he lived into belief – saying, “Tabitha, get up.” And she did it! Opened her eyes, sat up, took his hand. And then – surely in a strong voice – he called all the saints and widows back into the room for she was alive!
Peter didn’t know Tabitha. But Peter trusted. He accepted the invitation of two strangers who came to him and said – please come with us. There is something you have to see. Peter didn’t know if what he would do would work. But he trusted in the possibility.
How often are we presented with the invitation – would you come and see? How often do we accept? How often do we – for whatever reason – say, sorry I don’t know you and I can’t add anything to my plate? How often do we stop ourselves before we even try? Thinking we don’t have the power God says we do?
Peter went – without knowing what he was getting into to. But it would’ve been all too familiar when he got there. Death, mourning – a wake. But the women who greeted him at the door wanted him to know – this wasn’t just any wake – because this wasn’t just any woman. Tabitha was a saint – she was their saint.
She was a widow – which means she had no money – she had no power – and she wasn’t known to the people who did. Just like the people of her community. But they knew her and they loved her. And they were beside themselves because she would no longer be in their lives.
And as they wept they showed him who Tabitha was– the tunics, the afghans, their blankets, their clothes, their prayer shawls. All of these beautiful and basic things that – Tabitha made with her hands, with her gifts.
This is who Tabitha was. Widowed like us. Poor like us – but she gave anyway. And we loved her – and we need her – please bring her back.
A question for me in these gospel accounts – why are certain people – like Lazarus – like Tabitha – brought back to life.
The resurrection of Jesus is to show God’s power over death. God cannot be overpowered by the finitude of time – and so gives us the good news of a meaningful life here to be followed by an eternity of meaning – at one – with God. That’s Jesus resurrection – a category of its own.
The resurrection of Lazarus – of Tabitha is different. Neither will ascend to be seated at the right hand (or wherever exactly) – both will die again. So why? What is the message for us in this story?
Number 1 – Peter accepts an invitation of strangers. He doesn’t know the two men who come – but he is willing to be a witness – to just go and see – something that is hard. He believes he is needed – because they say he is needed. In a variety of ways – all of hear that same invitation. It may be hard to go and see some of the people – some of the places we are invited to – but trust – you’re witness is needed. Someone once said to me – I don’t know if I have faith all the time – but I act like I do. Bingo. Peter trusts, he lives into faith – and it took him awhile to get there didn’t it?
Number 2 – The widows and the saints in that room are grieving what they had lost, the person and their gifts. Sometimes we need to be reminded of what we have. There is so much we take for granted every day – it can’t be helped, I know that. We all do it. But when something changes – when someone is gone – then we realize. Then we realize how the small gestures – the mundane comforts – the assumed presence – when it’s gone – then we feel the gratitude. In this story – we, the onlookers, are reminded – show your love – show your gratitude – now.
Number 3 – Look at what Peter does when he gets there. He models something he saw Jesus do – all the time. Shut the door – go in there by yourself – and pray. We are the only ones who can build sacred space and time in our own lives. We hear Jesus, the Good Shepherd say – my sheep know my voice. That implies we are listening for God’s voice. Listening is not passive – it requires our attention, our practice, our whole selves. Peter cannot let God in – until he puts the noise, the people out. We all need to create the quiet to listen for God’s voice.
Finally – and I think this is the most important point for a faith community. Resurrection is never about just one person. It is always God working through one person for the sake of the community – the common good. When I’ve preached on the raising of Lazarus – and I would imagine the same hold true for Tabitha – isn’t there the chance that when she’s brought back she says – “Well what did ya go and do that for?”
Of course, I’m sure she was grateful – but just think of her community’s gratitude. How weeping was turned into shouts of joy! Imagine how they felt – these poor, powerless, forgotten saints and widows – seeing just how much someone cared for them. They show Peter Tabitha’s love through what she created. Peter shows them God’s love for all of them – who God created.
I don’t know if it’s still there – but if you’re driving on Bosley off of Towsontowne in Towson – for me that’s the route to Target – you cross York – and a little ways on your left there’s a Lutheran church and the have a church sign. So the week after Easter I drove by and it read – Alleluia. Jesus is risen. Now what?
That’s a great sign! Alleluia. Christ is risen. Now what? For Peter – scared Peter, doubting Peter – now, he’s going to start acting his faith. Accepting invitations – modeling Jesus’ practice of prayer – going into places and communities that ask for a witness, that ask for help. Now Peter is going to believe that God really has equipped him with everything he needs.
Now what? O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads.
Are you listening for the voice of God in your life - now? Are you listening for God’s invitations - now? What do you hear? Where is God calling you? Where are being led? Do you trust God has given you the power to be a sign of God’s love for all of God’s people?
Someone shared a wonderful article in the Wall Street Journal by James Martin, Jesuit priest and author. Titled “The Challenge of Easter” maybe you read it? Martin writes –
“If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead…everything changes. In that case, you cannot set aside any of his teachings. Because a person who rises from the grave, who demonstrates his power over death and who has definitively proven his divine authority needs to be listened to. What that person says demands a response.
In short, the resurrection makes a claim on you.”
(http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-challenge-of-easter-1458916153)
Jesus’ resurrection made a claim on Peter – a claim that changed everything about the way he acted in the world. A claim that changed the way he listened and the way he followed. A claim that forever impacted the lives of the people God led him to.
What is the claim the central truth of our faith makes on you? It’s different this Easter season than it was last – and will be again – because the Good Shepherd is calling your name right now – so – now what? Amen.
The Rev. Arianne R. Weeks
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