The Clothing Tabitha Made
Daily Scripture
Acts 9:36-41
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In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas). Her life overflowed with good works and compassionate acts on behalf of those in need. About that time, though, she became so ill that she died. After they washed her body, they laid her in an upstairs room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to Peter. They urged, “Please come right away!” Peter went with them. Upon his arrival, he was taken to the upstairs room. All the widows stood beside him, crying as they showed the tunics and other clothing Dorcas made when she was alive. Peter sent everyone out of the room, then knelt and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and raised her up. Then he called God’s holy people, including the widows, and presented her alive to them.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Joppa was a busy port town on the Mediterranean coast, and like most towns in that world it had widows who struggled to get by. Without a husband and often without any steady income, a widow could easily slip to the edges of the community. Tabitha, a disciple in the church at Joppa, gave her life to caring for people like them. Luke described her life as overflowing with good works and acts of kindness, and much of that kindness seems to have come through a needle and thread.
When she died, her friends sent for Peter, who was staying in a nearby town. By the time he arrived, the upstairs room where her body lay was full of grieving widows. They held up the tunics and other clothing she had made, and those garments told Peter who Tabitha had been better than any speech could have.
Peter prayed, and God gave Tabitha back to her friends. Luke wrote that word spread all over Joppa and many people came to believe in the Lord. It all started in a room full of women whose lives she had quietly cared for.
Tabitha’s life showed that love is often given through ordinary, faithful work, the kind of quiet care that may never draw much attention. God sees every one of those gifts, and he can use them in ways we would never expect. We’re called to offer what we know how to do for the people around us, whether or not anyone ever notices.
- When the widows wanted to show Peter who Tabitha was, they held up the clothing she had made. What ordinary skill of yours could become a way to care for someone in need?
- Tabitha gave her time and skill to widows, women her community could easily overlook. Who near you could use practical help this week, and what could you make, fix, or do for them?
Prayer
God, thank you for the skills and abilities you have given me, even the ones that seem small or ordinary. Show me how to use them to care for people who need help. Give me the patience to do the slow, practical work that love sometimes asks for. Help me offer what my hands can do this week. Amen.
GPS Insights
Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe, who serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader and Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insights. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.
Doris & I co-wrote a study for her Fall Women’s Bible Study entitled, “B-Side Heroes/Heroines of the Faith.” (Some of us may recall the days of 45-RPM Vinyl Records which had 2 sides: The “A-Side” was for hit songs like the Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” & the ‘B-Side” was for their underrated songs like “I Saw Her Standing There.”) We focused on some of the more intriguing & quieter “B-Side” heroes/heroines in the Scriptures like our friend Tabitha/Dorcas in today’s passage. Forewarning: As Doris & I did our research, we became unabashed fans of our new friends to the point that we added this tagline to our study: “We’re confident that you’ll “D-side” (decide) these heroes/heroines really rock!”
There are so many cool tidbits about Tabitha, “The Seamstress of the Scriptures,” we’ll need to do a quick summary:
- The 1st descriptor for Tabitha is “Disciple.” This makes my Facebook bio lead-in, “Three-Time Fantasy Football League Champion,” seem kind of lame in comparison.
Aside: I went to a quilting contest this past weekend. The competition was so intense, I was on pins & needles the whole time. - Her faith walk “overflowed” with good acts & mercy. I love this word choice. Tabitha’s love was SO abundant, her spirit was SO generous, & she acted with kindness SO often, it flooded her personality & transformed each & every person she encountered. What a dynamo!
Tabitha dies. Her friends seek out Peter, who had developed a reputation for miracles. Peter arrives & the ladies eagerly show him all of robes/garments Tabitha had made for those in need. You can just imagine Peter being overwhelmed with the ladies’ passion as they probably pushed him back on a chair with garments piled high on his lap before he mumbled though the stack of robes, “Ladies, I need to get up. I can’t feel my legs.”
Aside: I’ve learned that quilters typically don’t say “Merry Christmas,” but rather “Fleece Navidad.” - Peter is clearly moved by the ladies’ love for their friend. He clears the room, prays for God to heal His servant, & orders Tabitha to rise. (Which she does.) Peter going to prayer emphasizes that it wasn’t his miracle, but rather this was all of God’s doing. Interestingly, Tabitha’s miraculous recovery doesn’t make her a celebrity, but helps people come to faith in Christ.
- Legend has it that Tabitha re-doubled her efforts during her 2nd life to help those in need, teach girls to sew, & organize widows to serve their communities. By the 2nd & 3rd centuries, Tabitha had become the patron role model of women devoted to missions of mercy. Dorcas Societies, Tabitha Guilds, & Women’s Sewing Circles were formed to make clothing for the poor, assemble quilts, prepare meals, & tend to widows. Remarkably, her sainthood emphasizes her good works, not her miraculous 2nd life.
Aside: If I were to name a Church Sewing Circle, I’d probably opt for “The Grateful Thread.”
So, how might our new friend, Tabitha, inspire us 2,000 years later?
- Tabitha recognized that she had a real talent as a seamstress & created an entire ministry that maxed out her gift.
- Tabitha embodied God’s love & compassion to such an extent, she became a living example of God’s Kingdom in action.
- Finally, Tabitha is a reminder that there really are no “B-Side” heroes/heroines on God’s jukebox. Each & every one of us have the potential to get God’s toe a-tapping & his fingers a-snapping as He delights in the music we are making for His Kingdom.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to see a documentary about tailors/seamstresses. It’s called, “Gone with the Pinned.” I was intrigued by the trailer’s dramatic quote, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a darn.”
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