Daily Lesson for June 9, 2019

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Acts chapter 9 verses 36 through 43:

36 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.37At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs.38Since 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.’ 39So 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. 40Peter 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. 41He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.43Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Here is a story of a woman whose small acts of love and care ended up having a huge impact on her community and, eventually, all of Christianity. 

Dorcas, also called Tabitha (not a bad idea if your name is Dorcas), was a faithful servant who cared for her community through simple gifts of kindness, compassion, and presence. When she died, all the community of widows spoke of her love and care for them. 

Peter was called to Joppa because Tabitha was ill. When he raised her from the dead her room was filled with all the tunics these widows had brought to bear witness to all she had done for them.

But that was not all that happened in Joppa. Afterward, Peter stayed with a man from the village named Simon, a tanner. And it was in Simon’s home that Peter had his dream about accepting unclean foods and also received an invitation to come and share the Gospel with gentiles. 

That encounter changed the course of Christianity. It was a dramatic and life-altering moment for Peter and for all the Christian faith. But it happened because Tabitha had been quietly knitting all those tunics for the widows for all those years. 

And to me, that is what heaven will be like.  One day, we too will be awakened from the dead. And our room will be decorated with all the good works we have done on earth and we’ll get to sit back and watch how our small acts of care and compassion turn out to have a huge impact in the whole kingdom of God. 

And I don’t know about you, but that inspires me to go out and do something kind and loving for somebody today.