SERVANTS of CHRIST United Methodist Parish Christ is Risen: Now what do we do? Spread the News A sermon by Dr. Will Reed April 17, 2016 Third Sunday after Easter Acts 9:36-43 Psalm 23 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30 All Scripture passages printed below are from the Common English Bible (CEB), 2011 For a podcast of this sermon go to http://www.servantsnow.org/sermon-podcasts Acts 9:36-43 36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas). Her life overflowed with good works and compassionate acts on behalf of those in need. 37 About that time, though, she became so ill that she died. After they washed her body, they laid her in an upstairs room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two people to Peter. They urged, Please come right away! 39 Peter went with them. Upon his arrival, he was taken to the upstairs room. All the widows stood beside him, crying as they showed the tunics and other clothing Dorcas made when she was alive. 40 Peter sent everyone out of the room, then knelt and prayed. He turned to the body and said, Tabitha, get up! She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and raised her up. Then he called God s holy people, including the widows, and presented her alive to them. 42 The news spread throughout Joppa, and many put their faith in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed for some time in Joppa with a certain tanner named Simon. Psalm 23 23 The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing. 2 He lets me rest in grassy meadows; he leads me to restful waters; 3 he keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths for the sake of his good name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff they protect me. 5 You set a table for me right in front of my enemies. SC_160417_Sermon Easter 4 Year C PV.docx, Page 1 of 7
You bathe my head in oil; my cup is so full it spills over! 6 Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the LORD s house as long as I live. Revelation 7:9-17 9 After this I looked, and there was a great crowd that no one could number. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out with a loud voice: Victory belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. 11 All the angels stood in a circle around the throne, and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell facedown before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and always. Amen. 13 Then one of the elders said to me, Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from? 14 I said to him, Sir, you know. Then he said to me, These people have come out of great hardship. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb s blood. 15 This is the reason they are before God s throne. They worship him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They won t hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching heat will beat down on them, 17 because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. John 10:22-30 22 The time came for the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple, walking in the covered porch named for Solomon. 24 The Jewish opposition circled around him and asked, How long will you test our patience? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered, I have told you, but you don t believe. The works I do in my Father s name testify about me, 26 but you don t believe because you don t belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life. They will never die, and no one will snatch them from my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them from my Father s hand. 30 I and the Father are one. SC_160417_Sermon Easter 4 Year C PV.docx, Page 2 of 7
Today we are in the third week of our series Christ is risen, now what do we do? From Easter to Ascension Sunday is 40 days. On Easter Sunday, Christ arose, but now the disciples find themselves in the in between time before Jesus ascends to be with God. So now the disciples are asking and we are asking, Now, what do we do? Well, at Servants of Christ one of the things we will do is to prepare to welcome a new pastor. This past week Pastor Chris McNeill was introduced to our staff and Leadership Board. He is currently serving a church in Jacksonville, Florida and will bring to us many gifts that I do not have. One of those is his skill as a both an English and Spanish speaker. He is bilingual. But let s get to the text. Last week, someone in the office asked the question. Who is Tabitha? Now, I won t name names, but when she asked the question I thought to myself, Tabitha sounds like a cat s name to me Then, I thought of this photo of Tabitha. She is the one in the middle. Do any of you recognize the photo? It is the cast from Bewitched, the TV series that was on television from 1966 to 1974. From left to right is Darrin, Tabitha, and Samantha. But the Tabitha that we are talking about was none of those. She was not a cat and not a child witch not even a cute child witch. No, our story read from Acts is about a very different Tabitha whose name is Greek is Dorcas. This - Tabitha was known for her good works Also, she was widely known for works of mercy in local community, especially for the clothing she made for widows. But, it is not just what she did. Yes, her life was filled with good works but she was also a person with tremendous compassion for others. Tabitha was not just a nice person. She was a genuinely good human being, especially toward widows and those in need. In our story for today, Tabitha has died SC_160417_Sermon Easter 4 Year C PV.docx, Page 3 of 7
and mourners are surrounding her deathbed. They are crying, telling stories, and there are showing off the clothes that she had made for them. I can imagine the conversation over Tabitha s body lying there. Perhaps you have done the same thing when a loved one has died. People are standing around talking and someone says, This is my favorite. She made this for me. It is just right. Then another says, Yes, Tabitha was special. She was always doing for others. Tabitha reminds me a bit of Karen s mom. Her name was Doris Loftis and she died several years ago. But I still remember the visitation. When she died, there was a visitation the night before at the Shady Grove UMC, on the Shady Grove Road in North Carolina, just south of the Virginia state line and Danville, Virginia. It was a Fall evening and the sun had set early, but the little church packed. In fact, there was a line out the door into the gravel parking lot. It took forever for everyone to speak with the family. We stayed much later than had been planned. Why? Well, because everyone was telling stories about how Doris Loftis had done nice things for them. They shared stories about how she was such a kind and caring human being. They told about how she had brought over food when so and so was sick or how she had sent a kind note. Some even talked about how she had prepared a little gift on a special occasion and shared a kind word of support and encouragement. When Karen s they were alive we would usually visit Karen s mom and dad in North Carolina twice a year. It was usually during the summer and then sometime around the Christmas holidays. While we were there on those visits I learned a lot about Karen s mom. One of the things I learned is that Karen s mom would often awaken at night. When she did, she would go sit in a chair in the den. Sometimes, when she did that I wondered if she sometimes sat up all night thinking about all the good things she could do for other people. The reason I wondered that is because often, when visiting, I would wake up early and find her already in the kitchen making something for someone in need. By 8 am she was often preparing to make a delivery to a person who was ill, or to someone who had lost a loved one. Then there were the questions I would hear her ask Karen. So and So is graduating from High school. Do you think she would like this gift? She had a whole stash of gifts for such occasions that she kept in an upstairs bedroom. That is who Doris Loftis was - A kind human being who cared much more for others than she did for herself. But it was also who Tabitha was. She was always thinking about something she could do for someone else. There is a Word in the story we might overlook. It is the first word that describes Tabitha. It is translated disciple from the Greek work Mathetria which actually means female disciple as someone devoted to following and being like another. SC_160417_Sermon Easter 4 Year C PV.docx, Page 4 of 7
Being devoted to good works is not just what Tabitha and Doris Loftis did. It was who they were and it is what faithful disciples of the Risen Lord continue to do. In fact.. - Her good works testified to the risen Christ Yes, Tabitha s good works testified to the risen Christ and the good works of Doris Loftis, Karen s mom, testified to the risen Christ. She was a follower of Jesus. Her good works testified to the power of the risen Christ in her life and it is the same for us. As followers of Jesus Christ, as followers of the Risen Christ, when we do good works we are testifying to the Risen Christ. We are allowing the risen Christ to work through us. As followers of Jesus Christ, we love others because Christ first loved us And.. - We too are called to spread the news The Message tells the story about Peter s involvement in this way. Remember, Tabitha was dead. People surrounded her bed in mourning. Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha s body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: Tabitha, get up. 40-41 She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. 42-43 When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner. Yes, they spread the news of the powerful work of Peter who was doing the work of the risen Christ. Peter also was allowing the risen Christ to work through him. Many came to believe because of Peter s witness and many came to believe because of Tabitha s witness. My friends, we too are called spread the news. When we are baptized in the church candidates are asked To confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put their whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as their Lord. One of the ways we serve Jesus as our Lord is by doing good and by spreading the news of risen Christ by living out our faith in our actions. SC_160417_Sermon Easter 4 Year C PV.docx, Page 5 of 7
Most of you know that John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement. Wesley never intended to start a new church. His intention was to revitalize the Church of England from within. So, he started Methodist Societies which were small groups of Christians who supported and challenged one another in the faith. In 1739 John Wesley wrote some guidelines or these societies or small groups. The guidelines are called the General Rules of Our United Societies. The purpose of these rules was to govern their life together in these small groups that met weekly. The leaders of the groups were to see each person weekly to counsel, advise, reprove, comfort and exhort. The first rule said that the members of the groups were to do no harm and avoid evil of every kind etc. This was the first general rule. The second went like this. - "It is expected of all who continue in these societies that they should continue to (show) evidence of their desire of salvation by.doing good in every kind of way as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and as far as possible to all.. John Wesley (the Second General Rule of Methodist Societies) The Risen Christ calls us to nothing less than to have compassion toward all, expressed in concrete acts of love toward those who need them most. So, how do we spread the news of the Risen Christ? By doing good in every kind of way, at every opportunity, and with all persons. Being devoted to good works is not just what Tabitha and Doris Loftis did. It was who they were and it is what faithful disciples continue to do. When we are inspired by the Risen Lord, we do good. It s why the Second General Rule is as strongly worded as it is: It is expected of all who continue in these societies that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation, Secondly: By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all (emphasis added). Just when we might have thought we were being stretched by the Spirit, we are stretched even more. As disciples of the Risen Lord, Tabitha, Doris Loftis and even the General Rules remind us of just how far we are still called and stretched to go. The SC_160417_Sermon Easter 4 Year C PV.docx, Page 6 of 7
risen Christ calls us to nothing less than compassion toward all, expressed in concrete acts of love toward all those who need them most. So, let s review. The Takeaway: Tabitha showed the power of the Risen Christ through good works, acts of charity and the clothing she made. The news of the risen Christ spread after she too was raised. That is who we are called to be as well. The Challenge: The challenge is to spread the news of Christ. How: Spread the news by your words and your actions. Our words and our works in the name of Jesus can also spread the news of the Lord. Assignment: Spread the news of the risen Christ by doing good in every possible way with everyone that you encounter this week. SC_160417_Sermon Easter 4 Year C PV.docx, Page 7 of 7