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Sunday April 25, 2010 "The Easter Community" Acts 9: 36-42 |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 5/4/2010 11:26 AM | Have you been there? Have you been where the church at Joppa was? I have.
In this passage, the church at Joppa is experiencing a most profound grief. They have lost one of the best. They have lost a pillar of the church, a much loved woman named Dorcas. She was the example upon which many would have relied. Her ministry, we are told, is to care for the widows among the community. She made them clothes and found other ways which to serve them.
When I read this, I am suddenly filled with reminiscences of so many faithful people, people like Dorcas. Men and women who showed me what it means to serve God joyfully and completely. Men and women who were always there when they were needed. Men and women of integrity and compassion and grace. Men and women who, when they died, left a hole that could not be filled. Men and women that each and every one of us have known.
When I read this I can feel again the sense of loss that comes when someone like Dorcas passes away. You have felt it, too.
When I read this I know where I was drawn when I experienced that kind of loss: with kindred spirits; with family; with the community that is the church; with people who understand and share the loss, seeking strength and comfort and healing from each other.
The community at Joppa in it’s pain, seeks solace from one of the leaders of the Christian movment, the Apostle Peter. Peter is in a nearby city and so they send for him.
The scripture doesn’t tell us so I wonder exactly why they sent for him. Did they send for him with the express desire to have him raise Dorcas from the dead? Did they send for him to offer comfort to the survivors, to help guide them in their grief? To remind them of the blessing that they received from the life of Dorcas? Did they send for him simply to have someone to lean on, a shoulder to cry on?
The Acts account doesn’t tell us.
When Peter arrives, the community has lovingly prepared the body, they have gathered around her the things she made for others – tangible examples of her goodness. They shed communal tears.
Peter arrives, goes to the place where they have laid Dorcas’ body and prays. Then, he simply bids her to rise, and she does. And the community of faith, those who were weeping together and mourning together, are suddenly able to celebrate together.
Was this the outcome that they expected? Death is an expected part of life. Even though Dorcas did not die on that particular day, we have no reason to believe that she did not die at some point. And what if Peter had simply come out of the room and said, “She was a wonderful lady, and now she is home with God” ?
They would have mourned.
And here’s the point: whether she came back to life, or they had to say their last goodbyes, they were going to do it together.
Together in community. That’s what this story is about for me. Oh, it is a powerful story of resurrection. It brings yet another example of the truth of Jesus’ resurrection by once again showing God’s intervention into “normal” human existence. Dorcas is dead, yet following the prayers of Peter, she comes back to life. This is a powerful witness to the power of Jesus that now resided in his followers. Looking at this as a teaching moment, the resurrection of Dorcas would go a long, long way to getting the attention of folks who were wondering if what the apostles were saying was true. As the scripture notes, many people believed after this event.
It’s also a powerful miracle story. Think of the impact that this event would have on people. Jesus had traveled the countryside, doing miraculous things. Changing water into wine, walking on water, curing lepers, multiplying 5 loaves and two fish into enough food to feed 5000 people, raising Lazarus from the dead. It was part of his story, it was part of his legend. People flocked to him to see if would do it again. But Jesus was no longer around. After his resurrection and ascension into heaven, he left his disciples and other followers to carry on. Could they really? Sure, they had been taught by Jesus, but did they possess the authority of Jesus? With this miracle, this arousal of the dead Dorcas, the answer is firmly and resoundingly established. YES! Peter, one of the leaders of this Christian movement, was able to perform miracles, too. Suddenly, the possibilities were endless: maybe all believers could somehow harness these miraculous powers. Given that possibility, it is not surprising that following this event, many people believed.
It’s also a story of defiance. Every time Jesus performed a miracle, rebuked the religious authorities, claimed to be God’s son, reinterpreted the Hebrew Bible or made his case for an ethic of love and grace as God’s holy command, he angered the powers that be just a little bit more. And then, it all came to a head when he raised Lazarus from the dead. The chief priest of the Holy Temple was present for that event, and when Lazarus walked out of the tomb, alive and well, it is recorded that he began to make plans to kill Jesus.
Peter and his compatriots had witnessed all of these things. They knew the consequences. Peter had even heard Jesus tell him straight out that one day he would be come a prisoner, unable to escape or do as he pleased. The disciples had first hand knowledge of the hatred that the religious authorities had for Jesus. But still, Peter persisted in performing this miracle, praying for the resurrection of Dorcas. Knowing full well the potential consequences, he showed himself to be firmly committed to following Jesus, come what may.
Is it any wonder that having seen such a display of defiance, a defiance born out of faith, that following Dorcas’ rising, many people became believers?
It is also a story of witness to God’s power. The writer of Acts wants to make sure we get the point that the God who created the world and raised Jesus from the dead is still active in the world, bringing healing to the diseased, hope to those in despair, and life where death once held way.
Personally, I think that while important, the themes of resurrection and miracle and defiance and power are but side stories to where we really need to focus our attention: firmly on the Christian community at Joppa. This is not just any community: this is a group of people that understands fully their role as a community of faith. This is first and foremost, a story of what it means to live out the call of Jesus as a healing community in the midst of pain and grief.
For the last month, we have celebrated different marks of what it means to be Easter people. One mark is responding to God’s will to do our best to honor God with our life and our actions. Other marks are to live lives of grace and peace, showing our devotion to God by our openness to and acceptance of those who are different than we are. Still another mark is to follow Jesus example of being present to all who need help, all who seek a better way.
These markers are all signposts pointing us to the place where we can truly live out our call to be Easter people. But there is still one thing missing. And that one thing is the realization that the only way to truly do achieve those things is in community. The community at Joppa is a prime example of this.
Starting with the example of Dorcas and her ministry to the widows of the community and continuing on throughout their shared grief and connection to each other and to their trust in Peter as the emissary of Jesus, this community is an example of what it means to live as Easter people.
There is power in community. Every action and every step we take becomes accentuated and amplified when we do it together. When we find ourselves surrounded by fellow travelers on this faith journey, not only are we strengthened, but our efforts at spreading the good news of Jesus Christ are strengthened. When our worship leaves the sphere of private prayer and becomes corporate celebration, we find room to include more and more people into the circle of faith. When our individual efforts to reach out to a fragmented world are bound together by the ties of community, the impact we can make takes on whole new proportions. When we grieve, we know that there will be someone there to comfort us. When we stray from our path, there will be someone there who can help guide us safely back. When we celebrate, well, how much better is it to share our celebrations than to keep them to ourselves?
How do I know these things? Because the healing community like the one in Joppa still exists today, and one of the places it exists is in this place, the Brookhaven Christian Church.
It exists in the delightful laughter of children, being taught by loving and caring teachers, teachers that are simply carrying on a tradition that started many, many years ago.
It exists in excited conversations in the narthex, or around the fellowship table, recounting the blessings of life and healing that have been so generously rained down upon us.
It exists in the people who seek to honor God by keeping God’s house beautiful with flowers and shrubs and loving care.
It exists in the people who seek to praise God through a special song, or through the ministry of music in our choir or in those who contribute to our alternative services.
It exists when people gather together in Sunday school or Bible study and open God’s Word, sharing their understanding and experience, moving us all forward in our faith journeys.
It exists in the people who surround us when we are grieving, stepping in to share our grief and to help us prepare for the future.
It exists in the witness of a smile and a handshake to every visitor who walks in the door.
It exists whenever two or more gather in Christ’s name, serving each other the Lord’s Supper, celebrating the presence of God and pledging to make that presence known through all of our activities.
It exists when we move into the world as Christ’s church, seeking to feed Christ’s sheep, lovingly and tenderly.
The church at Joppa gives us wonderful evidence that the church is a place, where together, the kingdom of God can be celebrated. The church at Joppa reminds us that we are never better than when we band together to share in our journey. The church at Joppa reminds us that in fact, we cannot truly live out our call as Easter people until we join together in community. And when we live out our call as Easter people, people will take notice. The world will change, one life at a time.
Have you been where the church at Joppa has been? I know I have. And I know I am here today because I have learned what it means to be part of a true community. It means that I am not alone, and that means everything.
May it be so for you and for me, now and always.
Let us pray: Thank you God, for the example of the church at Joppa. Thank you for the healing power that comes from being part of your church. Thank you for the opportunity to share with each other so that we might be strengthened, we might be emboldened, we might become faithful witnesses of your love and grace. It is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen. | | | Permalink | Trackback |
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