One Great Big Family - May 8, 2021
Acts 9:36-43
Deborah Laforet
One Great Big Family
Let us pray. May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by your Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day. Amen.
Communities of faith are amazing places. I am constantly in awe of the amazing people and the things those people do. From knitting prayer shawls and making meals, to calling lists of people every week, to hosting huge community wide events like bazaars and rummage sales, to the many who sit on committees and boards while also working full time and caring for families, to those who devote time and energy to fundraising events, galas or community dinners for those in need. Our communities of faith are not perfect, but study after study has found that the generosity of people in communities of faith, whether it be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Bahai, or any other, far exceeds those who are not a part of these communities.
St. Paul’s is no different. This is a very giving community. I am always in awe of those people who have given so much of themselves to a faith community and to their community, answering God’s call to serve the greater good. And this did not change through a pandemic. The work changed, but the willingness to generously give of time, talents, and treasure remained constant.
Who is St. Paul’s? Some might describe this community like a family, with both the negative and positive connotations of being a family. We definitely have our interpersonal dynamics. There is conflict. There are different political opinions, fights over money, and even disagreements around religion. But we are also people who make phone calls every week during a pandemic, people who come to this building several times a week to keep it safe and maintain it, a people who care about our neighbourhood, who stay connected with community groups and partner with others to meet the needs of our neighbours. We are a family that visions its future, pitches in as needed, laughs and cries together, and we are sometimes a family of choice for those who need a family that will support them and love them unconditionally.
We are also a family with lots to learn. We are learning what it means to be anti-racist, we strive to be affirming of all gender identities and sexual orientations, we are becoming more aware of mental lllnesses and what it means to be differently-abled, and we are beginning to name what it means that the church has been part of a colonial power and and what it means to reconcile with our past and with indigenous peoples today. All families have skeletons in their closet, and all families have past abuses, and all families carry biases and stories of harm done. As a family though, we continue to grow, we continue to learn, we strive to keep open minds, and if we are always willing to apologize and grow from our mistakes, and continue working on ourselves and our world, we will get that much closer to the kingdom of God on earth.
This is the fourth Sunday of Easter and we continue to read the stories that follow the resurrection, the stories of the disciples, who followed, becoming apostles, who have been sent out. Today, Elizabeth read for us the story of Tabitha, or Dorcas as she is named in Greek. Tabitha is described as someone who was always doing good and helping the poor. We are also told she made robes and other clothing, and, because the people surrounding her at her death were widows, it’s possible she also was a widow.
We hear a lot about widows and orphans in our bible. They were some of the most vulnerable in society, orphans because they had no family to protect and support them, and widows because they didn’t have a husband to protect and support them. Widows, though, could also be powerful influences, especially older widows, those past the childbearing age. They could still be very vulnerable, but they could also be outspoken and subversive, and, because they had more free time than other women, they sometimes devoted their lives to support those in need in their communities.
This is how I imagine Tabitha and the widows who surrounded her at her death. I imagine they were important to their society because of the amount of support they offered. So important, that two men were sent to find Peter when Tabitha got sick and died. So important, that Peter, a man known for his healing miracles, was brought to Tabitha, after her body had been washed and prepared for burial. So important, that Peter said to her, “Tabitha, get up!” Now, this isn’t in our scripture, but I also imagine Peter said, “Tabitha, get up! There is still much work for you to do. God still needs you!”
I read so many articles, and so many posts on social media, and talk with so many colleagues around the future of the church and if there is a future for the church, about how the church is dying or is dead, and friends, I believe the work of the church is not finished yet. We still have work to do. God still needs us. We are being called, to, “Get up!” Church families and all families of faith do a lot of important work in the community and in our world. We are examples of diverse groups of people gathering together to sing, to pray, to care, to advocate, to give, to serve, to do justice, to love unconditionally, and to come together as a family of Christ, sharing the good news of love and justice for all creation.
Is this who we are at St. Paul’s? Is this great, big family ready to move into a new future, a new world, a new call? Are we ready to hear, “St. Paul’s, get up! There is much work for you to do! God still needs you!”
Our work is not finished. Our world still needs us. May we hear that call from God. May Christ inspire us with his life, his death, and his resurrection, and may the Spirit be the wind at our backs, pushing us, challenging us, and moving us into the world, to be bearers of love, mercy, compassion, and justice. May it be so. Amen.