Sermon Notes 4/21 Acts (:36-41, Rev. 7:9-17

pril 21 Acts 9:36-41,Rev.7:9-17

Some of us think of the little girl in bewitched when you hear the name Tabitha. Tabitha or Dorcas is gazelle in 2 languages. Life was fleeting for her, just like a gazelle.This ancient port city is within Tel Aviv now. In many cultures, it is a symbol for grace, for beauty, for compassion.I love this resurrection.story. It is such a story of an element of grief, the keepsake. Keepsakes are tangible reminders of a person, and they often remind us of an attribute of the person. Keepsakes are the source of stories about a person. I find a distinction between a keepsake and a shrine. A shrine tries to freeze life into the moment of a death, where things are stopped to be the same, before the death. Instead, a keepsake brings our continuing bonds with a loved one forward into our lives. A keepsake keeps a life present for us,but a shrine is more of a mausoleum, a Taj Mahal to death.. This little story stands against the easy stereotype that women’s lives were not considered important in ancient times. This good and kind woman, this doubly named woman is raised from the dead.during the visitation in a funeral home, we collect keepsake stories that define a love done. They may often point to a particular act of kindness.

I am glad we are reading some hymns from Revelation in this Eastertide. This is as good a song about heaven as I can find in the bible. It is such a shame that we have permitted our disposal of this book to be placed in the hands of fortune tellers  and religious quacks. We deprive ourselves of its riches. The primary locus in speaking of heaven is being in the presence of God.Let’s be clear. At the earthly level most of these in heaven were nobodies; some were martyred for their faith. To paraphrase Lincoln, history would little note nor long remember them. In the eyes of god, they are royalty; they hold victory in their hands. At one level they are mouldering in the grave, but in heaven they are in the midst of the very fount of life.Please recognize the vast sum of them, the uncounted multitude.

Notice that it does not erase or deny the troubles and pains of this life. It does imagine that those tears will be dried.Notice the  literary move of making the sacrificial, slain little lamb the shepherd here.It does imagine a place where hunger and thirst are no longer an issue. A place where body and spirit are refreshed together. S hould we refer to ourselves as keepsakes in heaven?

Of lambs and shepherds-We may well be both at the same time. We care for others and take care of others. We do well to be careful not to try to shepherd adults when they are doing fine on their own. That’s a good definition of controlling, trying to shepherd someone who is fully capable of being a shepherd. At times, we need to be lambs, to receive care, protection, and comfort. Sometimes our greatest wisdom is learning to accept that we are in the lamblike position, especially as we grow frail and find it very hard to come to grips ws with decline.

Lately, i have mentioned at funerals that we can hope to grow into our eulogies. It is a marvel to hear stories of kindnesses of which we were unaware at funeral visitations; we get a fuller picture of someone.Perhaps one of our heavenly rewards is to see those acts of kindness displayed and treasured for all to see and appreciate.