For
Sunday, May 12, 2019, 4th Sunday of Easter, Yr C, Readings: Acts 9:36-43, Psalm 23, Revelation 7:9-17,
John 10:22-30
Peter...knelt down and prayed. He turned
to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." The she opened her eyes and
seeing Peter, she sat up...This became known...and many believed in the Lord. [Acts
9:40b-41, 42b]
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be
in want... [Psalm 23:1]
“…for the Lamb at
the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to the
springs of the water of live, and God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes.” [Revelation
7:9-17]
So the Jews gathered
around him and said to him...If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly. Jesus
answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe...because you do not
belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. [John
10:24-25a, 26-27]
A few days before Peter’s arrival
in Joppa, he, in Christ’s name, healed a paralyzed man named Aeneas, nearby. It
may be that disciples heard the news and sent for Peter to come and heal their
beloved Tabitha, though she had died before his arrival. The power in these
miracles is less about a paralytic who then walks, or Tabitha – Dorcas in Greek
– rising from the dead, but about the effect of those who witnessed the results
and told others who told others and who then believed in Jesus as Lord.
It is significant that he sent people from the room and then prayed – he
was not attempting to act on his own power – and also that he then commanded Tabitha to get up. He didn’t ask her, he told her
with the authority of and full faith in Jesus within him. As a result, many believed in
the Lord. What Peter did had an impact – not just for Aeneas and Tabitha –
but for all who heard or saw. Just as today they
will know we are Christians by our love, says the hymn; what we do in the
name of Christ can draw near or repel the faith of others. In claiming our
faith we must also claim the wider impact of our faith. A burden, perhaps,
yet offset by what we are given in return.
In
the lyrical and mystical readings from Revelation, the 23rd Psalm,
and John’s Gospel we see Jesus as Lamb and Christ as Shepherd, and, Jesus as human.
The Lamb at the center of the throne,
says Revelation, will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life… As the human Jesus,
he tells the gathered in John, I have
told you, and you do not believe. It does call me, as often happens, to think
about just what do I believe? Am I a step removed from Thomas – as were those
who were beyond Joppa and only heard
about Peter’s miracles and believed? Or do I still need to “see” for myself?
It also might be that in this human
sojourn we forget that our faith isn’t just about what is to come in the
eternal pasture of Heaven as long as we are reasonably well-behaved. We are to
live now as followers of Christ
Resurrected, in the peaks and valleys, the light and the dark, the days of more
faith and the nights of less. Lutheran Pastor Bobby Morris puts it quite beautifully
saying: We look eagerly to experience resurrection
life beyond the grave. But let us not overlook the resurrection life
– the very refreshing of our souls – that
the risen Christ offers daily to those who follow him. [emphasis added]
Jesus was gently adamant when he said My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they
follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch
them out of my hand. Let us allow our souls to be revived, to fear no evil,
to know that goodness and mercy are following us all the days of this life. We
are in the grasp of Jesus from whom we cannot be taken away. Let us live the resurrection life we have been given
and rest in the knowing that God will wipe
away every tear. Now, get up and live!
-The
symbolism of what is one of the most well-known pieces of Scripture across all
faiths and none, is fascinating and complex. I
commend to you a charming and interesting little book, A
Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by
W. Phillip Keller, who himself was a modern-day shepherd, for a closer look at
the connections between the Psalm's imagery and real life sheep farming. I can
certainly find myself among Keller's sheep, especially in those unruly moments
when I wander away.
-While Tabitha/Dorcas is less familiar to us than
others spoken of in Scripture, she certainly continues to have an impact. While
little is known but her good works and acts of charity, tunics
and other clothing she had made, there is today an organization that
uses her Greek name to help those in need of immigration services, legal,
education, path to citizenship, and a clothing collaborative. While not a
faith-based organization, the impact of Dorcas continues. [see Dorcas International]
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
Jesus, Holy Lamb, awaken our desire to follow Your voice through the peaks and
valleys of our human sojourn. Teach us to live the resurrection life now, in goodness, with mercy, and Your refreshment
of our souls each day, until we dwell again in Your Heavenly House.
Risen Lord
RESPONSE: Our
Shepherd, our Shelter
~ Jesus, Holy
Lamb, revive
the souls of all who govern across this Earth, this Country, and this Community.
Strengthen their spirits as You guide us all along right pathways for the health,
safety, and equality of every sheep of Your pasture. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Risen
Lord
Our Shepherd, our Shelter
~
Jesus, Holy Lamb, anoint
the hearts of all in chronic pain, the woes of addiction, or lost in despair,
and restore hope and energy to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud
for those in need…
Risen
Lord
Our Shepherd, our Shelter
~ Jesus, Holy
Lamb, wipe the tears from those who mourn as those who have died now drink from
the springs of Your new life, forever. We pray
especially for:
Risen
Lord
Our Shepherd, our Shelter
~ Jesus,
Holy Lamb, we
pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
Risen
Lord
Our Shepherd, our Shelter
~ Jesus, Holy
Lamb, we give You thanks and ask Your blessings for the chosen Disciples of our
own time who spread Your table before us, feeding our faith and confirming Your presence
in our lives. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Risen
Lord
Our Shepherd, our Shelter
The Celebrant adds: O Christ, our Messiah, grant us the courage
to get up each day in Your name, inspired by Tabitha and others, and live in
deep devotion to You. May our own prayers, good works, and acts of charity among Your
flock fill us with such depth of faith that our moments of unbelief are few. We ask through the Holy
Spirit, our Comforter, and the Almighty, our Creator, who together with You
reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.
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