Looking for a sign.

And another thing!

“Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas…”

Acts 9 recounts the raising of a church lady from death to life. I love it. Her sisters took care of what they needed to do when she died—they washed her body and laid her out in the usual fashion. They also called Peter to come and take care of them. I wonder if they expected him to raise her from the dead, or only to come and mourn with them.

I can picture this scene, with the faces and voices of many women I’ve known. They would be showing the smocking she did for her grandbaby, the pillowcase dresses she made for children in foster care, and the quilts she and her circle sent to Lutheran World Relief. They call in the pastor, because someone’s got to take charge here and Tabitha was the one who would usually do that. There is a serious gap left when she-who-does-things can’t do things anymore.

Through Peter’s prayers, God raised Tabitha from the dead. There were witnesses that she had been dead and now there were witnesses that she was alive. It was a sign for many in that town that God was active and working miracles in Jesus’ name. It was also a sign to many in the church, I expect, that God in Jesus was blessing their work and listening to their prayers.

In Acts, we see the young church getting on its feet for the first time. They were figuring out how to worship Jesus without him being physically present. They were learning what their role was in the world—not just preaching and teaching, but also caring for widows, orphans, and all in need.

In our time, we don’t often see such dramatic signs. Or perhaps we do, and we’re just not good at publishing and believing the stories. Either way, we don’t need the proof of God’s presence in quite the same terms. The church has been established and reforming for centuries now. We know that God has blessed us for generations.

It’s also good to see that these miracles are a gift from God. The church is shifting, as it does every 500 years or so. We need to know that our good works aren’t in vain. We need to know that God sees us and cares for us. We need to know that the prayers of the saints are answered. God’s goodness isn’t always dramatic, but when God chooses to act, God will act. The church still has an important role to play in sharing God’s good news with the world and in being the hands and feet of Jesus. What that looks like may change over time, but God’s mission keeps on going.