April 25, Acts 9:36-41, Rev. 7:9-17

Most of us have a dear person whom we miss whenever their memory crosses our mind. Rarely are they celebrities but more often they are good hearted people who touch our lives. Tabitha in our section this morning was such a woman. Maybe she was being idealized in death, but I prefer to see her as a good woman being remembered. Take a moment, and I bet that you can conjure up such a person in a few seconds. It makes us smile just recalling them, as models of what people can be.

 

Human beings need ritual for threshold events, for upcoming graduations for instance. No page gets turned in the book of life as decisively as death. . Here we know that stories are shared and that people are mourning her loss, after the body has been prepared according to their custom. With our turn against outward signs of grief, I suppose that we will soon have designated celebrators instead of designated mourners. When we have visitation or lunch after the service, we get to share stories. They serve to encase memories, to keep them from being so fleeting. Even when they bring tears, it is good to share stories about the fallen.  At the same time, we may be given a keepsake. We like something tangible as a reminder of someone who has gone on before us. They are sacramental in a way, containers of grace. If they are expensive heirlooms or something simple, they are treasures for memory. They are special as they are symbols of a life, something tangible to hold on to.

 

The book of Acts shows the church continuing the work of Jesus. Here, Peter's healing replays the raising of Jairus's daughter. He responds to an urgent call and sends out the mourners, just as Jesus did. There, Jesus says, talitha, cum, little girl arise. Here, after prayer,  Peter says Tabitha, gazelle, arise. Then, as Scripture says, mourning turns to dancing. Now the stories about Tabitha will include her raising. As we live, we can give all sorts of Tabitah moments to each other. Sure, the stories will continue to have quirks or silly things, like a guy who called me and said that he got mad and pushed his self-propelled lawn mower through some weeds and saw it tumble down a hill into a retention pond. Wouldn't we like to also be remembered for the good we have done?

 

In our time, we resuscitate people with a surge of electricity instead of prayer. Death continues to stalk us all. In the Easter season, we recall the resurrection. With Ezekiel, Easter tells us that dry bones can live in groups too. Jesus paves the way to a new sort of life, where tears are dried and nothing can harm us anymore, where we drink of the waters of life and continue in the life of God in a new way. Our passage from Revelation has heaven filled with Tabithas and lots of people who do not reach her heights, people like us. Revelation gives a remarkably expansive, large view of heaven, perfect for our large-hearted God. If I am reading it correctly, the 144,000 continue God's commitment to Israel, but then it opens up to a whole wide world in Jesus Christ. Here they all are in the presence of God, with the angels. There we will be safe from the scorching heat or the bitter cold of realtionships gone sour. There we will live in the expansive love of God. At long last, at long, long last, we will truly see God and ourselves at our very best, forever.