The Message, May 11, 2025: "Sewing and Reaping," Acts 9:36-43

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
May 13, 2025

 

“Sewing and Reaping”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Acts 9:36-43

            “Down the road a way in Joppa …”

            It is fun to join a story in the middle, is it not? You walk into the room and everyone is laughing, or crying, or ‘oohing an aahing’ and you ask, “What? What happened? What did I miss?”

            “Down the road a way in Joppa …” Okay … but down the road from where? What was going on? How did the story begin?

            The bulk of Chapter Nine of the Book of The Acts of the Apostles is about the dramatic conversion experience of Saul that occurred in the road to Damascus. Saul was breathing threats against the followers of the Way of Christ. He was on his way to Damascus with a letter from the high priest in his hot, little hands. He was going to go to the synagogues in Damascus to find anyone following the way. He was going to find them, bind them, and then drag them back to Jerusalem.

            When suddenly, a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and the Voice said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” And when Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” the Voice said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

            After Saul became Paul, and became a converted follower of Jesus, he spent time in Damascus proclaiming Jesus, saying: “He is the Son of God!”

            And then, after some time in Damascus and Paul’s return to Jerusalem, we hear that “the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” (Acts 9:31, NRSVUE)

            With the fear of Saul removed, the church in Judea and Galilee and Samaria was growing, and Peter was active in his ministry with those early congregations teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus. He was also healing in the name of, and with the power of, Jesus Christ. Peter had been visiting the town of Lydda, about ten miles from Joppa. He had just healed a man that had been bed-ridden for eight years because he was paralyzed. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and take your bed!” And immediately he got up. (Acts 9:34, NRSVUE)

            And that was where our passage for this morning picks up. Acts Chapter Nine sets the stage for Peter and Paul’s mission to the Gentiles. But first, we spend a few moments with a woman named “Gazelle.”

            I have shared with you previously, that naming was an important part of the ancient Hebrew heritage. Names meant something. They were significant. They carried the essence of who someone was. We can understand that. Many of us have names that carry a special significance for the family. My mother named her children with names that could not be shortened: Scott … Eric … Gregg (with two ‘G-s’ at the end). Of course, she deviated from that with my sister, Nicole … Niki.

            Back to Gazelle. I was curious about the name Tabitha, which means “Gazelle” in Hebrew. Were gazelles living in Palestine? Did gazelles have any special meaning or symbolism? As it turns out, there are eight references to gazelles in scripture other than this passage. Most of them refer to things that you can eat … so they were not much help. There are a couple of passages that refer to them being swift and light of foot. Gazelles symbolize grace and speed. Perhaps Tabitha was, but I dug a little deeper.

            The gazelle was a symbol for perseverance and optimism, and the ability to rise above adversity. And in the Hebrew tradition, the gazelle was a symbol of love, life, and even of God. Now, we are onto something.

            Perseverance, rising above adversity, life, and love … and even God. If we were able to speak to the weeping widows gathered in the house in Joppa, those might very well be some of the things that they said about the beloved and blessed Gazelle.

            As we know, widows were typically poor in first-century Palestine. They were at the bottom of the social ladder. They had no one to represent them, or defend them, or protect them. They had no advocates or resources of their own. And it was to such as these that Tabitha … Gazelle … had devoted her life and her ministry. Clearly, her illness and death had caused a crisis in the community. The widows were bereft … devastated. Who would care for them when Tabitha was gone?

            To be clear, we do not know anything else about Tabitha. We do not know if she was a widow herself. We do not know anything about her family. We do not know if she was graceful or swift. But we DO know that she offered her life to the most vulnerable members of her community. We DO know that she cared for them and provided for them. She sewed for them and likely sold other garments so that she could support them. In keeping with her name, she embodied what it means to be “godly” for them.

            We also know that Jesus turned the world order upside down. In God’s Kingdom, no one stays in the assigned or designated place.
            Fishermen preach to temple authorities.
            Paralyzed old men get up and walk.
            A woman named Gazelle heads a welfare program for poor widows in Joppa.
            Death does not have the final say.
            The power of God and the power of Jesus Christ called Tabith to rise.
            The power of God and the power of Jesus Christ gave the community new life!

            That is the power and the promise of resurrection … giving NEW life to those who are living. Giving hope to those who were hopeless. Those widows who Tabitha loved were those who lacked power in the world. They were those who were pushed aside or cast away, but in Tabitha they possessed the very essence of the love and life of God. That essence of God transformed their lives and gave them hope. When Tabitha was restored, they rejoiced, and through them many others came to believe. Through them others placed their trust in Jesus Christ.

            Sadly, the world has not changed much in two thousand years. Sure, the names have changed, but the dynamic is the same. Most communities, and organizations, and systems have their established “order” of how things are that define the roles of the people within them. Those who have power are reluctant to relinquish it. Those who do not have power have limited access to resources.

            But the Word of God challenges that. The Kingdom of God destabilizes that order. Jesus Christ pushes us into new arrangements and new relationships. Jesus teaches us about new roles and new ways of living. Jesus calls us to new life … and calls us to offer new life to others.

            If we were to continue reading through the Book of Acts, we would travel with Peter and Paul as their mission and ministries expands and extends into Gentile communities. We would hear powerful speeches, and read about shipwrecks and imprisonment. And as we read, we may not feel as though we can connect with them, or be able to relate to them. The circumstances and events of their lives and ministries are beyond what we could imagine for our lives. We will likely realize that we can find more in common with someone like Tabitha … Gazelle.

            The reality is that we would likely never have heard of Tabitha had she not died and then been restored to life by Peter. But the day-to-day “work” of the church is done by those such as her. It is the Tabithas that do the “ordinary” things that people do that help build the community; the sewing, and cooking, and visiting, and planting that add meaning to other people’s lives. Over the centuries, those “saints” of the church are the Godly ones who offered small acts of service to others within their own spheres, using their own gifts and skills to glorify God.

            Luke used the word “saints” to describe the Christians in Lydda and Joppa. The Greek word is “hagios.” It is sometimes translated as “holy,” but the root meaning of the word is “different.” The Christian, the follower of the Way of Christ, is different from those other people of the world. The followers of Christ choose a different way, a better way, the higher way. Those who follow Christ, those who proclaim Jesus as their Lord are the ones who fulfill God’s purpose in the world.

            At our Bible Study on Thursday evening, one of the participants asked the question, “When was the last time that you performed a miracle?”

            It was a good question to consider. When was the last time that you performed a miracle? When was the last time that you took someone’s hand and raised them from the dead?

            Perhaps it was the meal that you prepared for someone that had just lost their spouse.
            Perhaps it was the card that you sent to someone that you had not seen in a while.
            Perhaps it was when you knit the prayer shawl that was wrapped around someone going through cancer treatments.
            Perhaps it was the hug you gave someone having a rough day.
            Perhaps it was the kindness you offered to a stranger.
            Perhaps it was wearing the shirt that says, “You matter to me.”

            We are not Peter, or Paul, or James, or Stephen. We are not likely going to have books written about us. Our names will probably never appear in a theological journal. But … we can make a difference in someone’s life today. We can change someone’s world.

            I am not Peter or Paul, but I hope that I can be a Tabitha. Amen.

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