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“Hope Gives Life” // Profiles in Hope: Tabitha/Dorcas Wildwood Mennonite Church // Sept 15, 2019 // Joe Heikman “She's A

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“Hope Gives Life” // Profiles in Hope: Tabitha/Dorcas Wildwood Mennonite Church // Sept 15, 2019 // Joe Heikman “She's A “Hope Gives Life” // Profiles In Hope: Tabitha/Dorcas Wildwood Mennonite Church // Sept 15, 2019 // Joe Heikman “She’s Alive??” // puppet show // a story of Hope from Acts 9:36-43 Two kids, talking together about exciting events in the adult world. Dori (very excited, talking fast): No way! No way, I just can’t believe it, it’s too good to be ​ ​ true! Simon: What are you talking about? What’s too good to be true? Dori: Didn’t you hear? About Tabbi’s grandma? Simon: Tabbi’s grandma? What about her? Dori: Well, you heard that she was sick, right? Simon: Yeah, how’s she doing? Dori: Well, she died! Simon: She died? Dori: Yep, she died! Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. Simon (interrupting): Dori! This is our friend’s grandma you’re talking about, have some ​ ​ compassion! Dori (continues over the interruption): Gave up the ghost. Dead as a doornail. We all ​ ​ saw it! LIke I said, it’s too good to be true! Simon: Dori! How could you say that!! Wait, what? Too good to be true? What are you talking about? Dori: She died--but she didn’t stay dead! Simon: She didn’t what??? Dori: She didn’t stay dead! I mean, it was all tragic and stuff, tears all around, funeral flowers and whatnot, but then this suuuuper religious dude came and--boom!! Funeral cancelled! I hope they didn’t cancel the pickles and cold cuts though… those are good with a resurrection party just as much as a funeral, right? Simon: Dori! I don’t understand! Start over, from the beginning, slooowly. Dori: Okay. Deep breaths. Got it. So. You know Tabbi’s grandma, right? Simon: Yep. Aunty Tabitha, she always asks us to call her that. She’s sooo nice! Dori: I know, right? Everybody thinks so. Well anyway, she got sick a while ago, something like...a nimmenonica? Ammonia? Maybe she caught it from cleaning too much or something? Simon: You mean, pneumonia. It’s an infection of the lungs. Dori: Well look at you, all doctor--y and stuff… Am I telling the story or are you? Simon (rolling her eyes): Go on… ​ ​ Dori: Well, the ammonia in her lungs, it must have gotten really bad. My mom was so worried about her, she went over there almost every day. She stayed right there for two days straight at the end. So yesterday morning, my mom came in and told us that it was all over, Aunty Tabitha had gone, passed away. Simon: Oh my. Dori: I know, right? Everybody was so sad. They put on their mourning clothes and called the rabbi. My mom said she had to go wash the body, I guess the ammonia wasn’t good for cleaning up after all? Simon: Sure, we’ll go with that. Keep going… Dori: Well I wanted to go help with the washing, but Mom said I’m not old enough for that kind of thing. But I did get to go over later, and all the ladies from the whole town were crowded into the house, everybody crying and saying the most lovely things about what a great woman Aunty Tabitha was and all. I hope you say nice things about me like that when I’m dead, won’t you? Simon: This isn’t about you, Dori! Focus: get to the unbelievable part! Dori: Well I heard these two guys talking, they said there was some famous preacher man over in Lydda? Some kind of priest or sorcerer or something, Peter A Something. They said they’ve heard that he’s been doing miracles all over the place. Lydda’s only like a 3-hour walk, so they left last night to go see if this Peter A guy would come to help. Not like anybody thought he would bother, ‘cause like what’s he gonna do to help a dead old lady? Simon: Dori! Have some respect! Dori: What! I told you this is a happy story in the end, so save your respect for someone who needs it! Anywho, this Peter dude, Peter Postal, that was his name. Peter A Postal. He should think about going into the mail business with a name like that…. Anywho, like I said, we didn’t think he would come, but he did come, this morning. And all the ladies told him about Tabitha, showed him all of the clothing that she made. Simon: Yeah, Aunty Tabitha made me this shirt! Quite a design, very futuristic don’t ya ​ ​ think?. Dori: Yep, she’s definitely ahead of the times! So they showed Peter all the stuff that she made for us and told her about how awesome she was and how much she meant to all of us. She’s amazing! And then, oh my, this was the best part, my mom walked right up to Peter and said, “well?” Simon: Well, what? Dori: That’s what Peter said! “Well, what?” And my mom, she’s so cool, she goes, “Well, miracle man, what are you going to do about it?” Simon: Whoa. Dori: I know, right? Well, Peter gets this funny look on his face and says, “okay, okay, take me to her and let’s see what happens.” Simon: So, what happened?!? Dori: I’m not really sure how it all went down, but Peter and my mom went up the stairs to where Aunty Tabitha’s body was. Mom told me that Peter said a simple prayer, asking God to bring Tabitha back to us. And then he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Simon (amazed): And she did?!? ​ ​ Dori: She did! She got up. She got up, walked down the stairs, and started giving everybody hugs. It was sooo cooool. We were, like, stunned, you know? Didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or cheer, or what. Simon: Whoa. Me, either. (silent pause) So, Aunty Tabitha is really alive? You’re not ​ ​ just making it up? Dori: I was there, man. Saw the whole thing. Like I said, it’s too good to be true, but you gotta believe me. Simon: I think I do. So, what now? Dori: I don’t know, keep on living, I guess? I mean, all of this on a Tuesday! Simon: Do you think this is what life is really like? Dori: I hope so. I mean, if this is possible, who knows what could happen! I’m so overwhelmed. I’m speechless. Simon: Um, speechless? Dori: Speechless. You know, the kind of speechless with all the words still attached. Simon: That sounds about right. Hey did you say something about pickles and cold cuts? Dori: I did! Let’s go see. Now in Joppa there was a disciple, a woman named Tabitha—“Dorcas,” in Greek—who never tired of doing kind things or giving to charity. About this time she grew ill and died. They washed her body and laid her out in an upstairs room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples sent two couriers to Peter with the urgent request, “Please come over to us without delay.” Peter set out with them as they asked. Upon his arrival, they took him upstairs to the room. All the townswomen who had been widowed stood beside him weeping, and showed him the various garments Dorcas had made when she was still with them. Peter first made everyone go outside, then knelt down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, stand up.” She opened her eyes, then looked at Peter and sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. The next thing he did was to call in those who were believers—including the widows—to show them that she was alive. This became known all over Joppa and, because of it, many came to believe in Jesus Christ. Acts 9:36-42 (The Inclusive Bible translation) It has never occurred to me to ask for a resurrection. I’ve planned lots of funerals, I’ve sat around plenty of rooms where family and friends told stories about how much their deceased loved one meant to them. They’ve showed me pictures and cried tears, even passed around the things that their person has made, just like the friends of Tabitha in this story. I’ve felt the ache of loss, the gigantic hole of an uncertain future when the pillar of a family and a community is lost. And I’ve felt the denial--this can’t be happening. And the anger and bargaining and despair--how could this happen, why did this happen, how can we possibly move on without them? But I’ve never thought to say, “Wait a minute, this person matters so much, let’s ask God to bring them back.” Dead is dead, gone is gone, and what is done cannot be undone. Those are the facts of life. That’s always been true. The ancients weren’t naive about mortality and the finality of death. They dealt with death on a much closer basis than most of us modern folks. This wasn’t naivete or lack of sophistication on the part of Tabitha’s community. They knew what death was; these were a group of widows, afterall. And yet, they sent for the Apostle Peter, to ask for a resurrection. Where does that kind of hope come from? It doesn’t come out of nowhere, that’s just blind optimism. Don’t confuse hope with denial or gullibility. As Eileen said last week, hope isn’t sticking our heads in the sand, blindly embracing the chance that somehow everything will turn out okay.
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