Sermon – Another Resurrection Story Rev. Sandy Lacey 5th Sunday of Easter – May 11, 2025
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Yes, we are still in the Easter season of the church year, and we are looking for signs of resurrection all around us. From something so simple as rain “greening up” the near dead grass and plants, to two new Rockledge High scholarship recipients being grateful for opportunities to improve their futures, to my experience with a friend this week who saw for the first time her own culpability in the chaos events of her life coupled with her desire to live differently, to a new Pope that like his Savior and predecessor seem to be concerned for the poor and disenfranchised in the world. If we have our eyes open, our hearts receptive, we will see signs of the Spirit’s resurrection work around us. Where have you witnessed resurrection this past week? I want to thank you for the continuing education/retreat opportunity you afforded me these past 10 days. As you might imagine, pastors must recharge so that we can be more aware of the needs around us, more courageous to speak to those needs, and more compliant with the Spirit’s direction for the church. It is no easy task even with the wonderful leadership I am surrounded by in this church. So, thank you again. For these past 2 years I have been fortunate to participate in a women clergy renewal program offered by Benedictine Sisters, and we are their last class to participate in this way for the past 20 years. The new thing they are planning for in the future is localized women clergy support led by some past participants. You might say that it is the beginning of a resurrection event as the project moves forward, because in the church as in all things, change must happen. We, in the church, are reluctant to embrace change – well, because change is hard. We like familiarity. We like knowing what to expect and we like doing things as we have always done them. But the world changes around us and if we are stuck in our silos, so to speak, then we cannot address, and in some cases embrace, what is happening around us. The biggest issue facing us these days is our enmeshment with the culture around us. We must be willing to do as Jesus did during the course of his ministry here on earth – to speak truth to power, to lift up the disenfranchised, to help the poor and sick, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, and to chastise the religious right of his day. This kind of ministry was not popular in his day and it is not popular in our day either. It is much easier to just go along with what the culture deems important. Our Acts passage today is written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke. He calls Tabitha (named Dorcas in Greek) a disciple. Gary Charles reminds us that she is the only NT woman designated as a “disciple” and her work was to care for the poor, to do charitable acts in her community, and to confront religious and political power when they opposed God’s purpose.[1] She did not “stay in her place” as Will Willimon says.[2] She moved out of her comfort zone, listened to God’s call in her life, and followed where the Spirit led in a time in which women did not lead anything. Would that we all have her kind of courage! Willimon goes on to say that “in the new early Christian community, no none stays in his or her place. Common fishermen preach to the temple authorities, paralyzed old men are up and walking about changing lives, and a woman nick-named ‘Gazelle’ heads a welfare program among the poor in Joppa.” She was making a difference in the lives of those who were around her in the community. And one of those fishermen, who had the temerity to step out of his comfort zone and listen to God’s call in his life, responded to the worried messages he received. When Peter arrived in Joppa, Tabitha had already died. Now, he gets to demonstrate another resurrection story. Friends, resurrection is never a one and done thing. It happens more times than we think. It seems too fantastical to believe, though, doesn’t it? Most of the time our minds are closed, our hearts have shrunk, and our eyes do not believe what we see or can’t see. Instead of falling into the mindset of “ain’t it awful”, Peter chose to exercise his faith and listen to the Spirit’s guidance. And his faithful response led to another resurrection story. Brian was a troubled young man. DUIs had taken away his license and he was running with a crowd just like him – troubled, thinking they were invincible, and looking to cause problems. His parents were divorced and his father had died at a fairly young age in a factory accident. His Mom loved him and did the best she could with a troubled adolescent. His step-father also did the best he could, teaching him the sport of diving and then sending him to diving school in Texas. An idea formed and his imagination grew until he was able to make this hobby into a business, and my nephew has done well, in spite of his addictive past. He reminds me of countless other people I have known over the years who have risen from the chaos of their lives to do a new thing. (Another resurrection story.) I remember a Presbytery meeting in South Alabama about 15 years ago. It was a particularly difficult meeting with the controversial topic of ordaining gay and lesbian pastors/leaders and affirming same sex marriages in our Presbyterian denomination. There were two pastors at the Presbytery meeting that day on opposite sides of the issue who argued passionately for their side/their belief and then it came time for the worship service and communion. Those same two pastors stood at the Table together and publicly stated that they were brothers in Christ and together would welcome each other and all people to God’s Table of Grace. I remember their interaction together at the Table changed the whole tenor of the meeting from one of contention to one of unity and love in spite of differences. There are many resurrection stories, and I suspect you know one or two yourself. In each case the person or persons involved placed themselves in the right place at the right time in order to see resurrection happen, and then were willing to be transformed by it. Peter came to the home immediately after being summoned and relied upon the Spirit to help him do the amazing work of transformation/resurrection for a disciple who was making a difference in the life of her community. Tabitha/Dorcas was a disciple of Christ who followed Jesus by caring for the least and lost in her community. She did so much that she was sorely missed when she died. Now that is a witness! Peter responded to the call and chose to rely upon the Spirit to help bring a miracle to her and to that community. He placed himself in the position to expect it. What is it that you expect today? I am reminded today of a Wendell Berry’s poem, entitled “Practice Resurrection.” Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And you will have a window in your head. Not even your future will be a mystery anymore. Your mind will be punched in a card and shut away in a little drawer. When they want you to buy something they will call you. When they want you to die for profit they will let you know. So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it. Denounce the government and embrace the flag. Hope to live in that free republic for which it stands. Give your approval to all you cannot understand. Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered he has not destroyed. Ask the questions that have no answers. Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos can predict the motions of your mind, lose it. Leave it as a sign to mark the false trail, the way you didn’t go. Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.
Friends, we are invited to open our eyes, unstop our ears, and lift our hearts to recognize God is not finished yet, that there are signs of resurrection all around us. May we, like Peter, come to expect it. AMEN.
[1] Gary W. Charles, “Commentary 1: Connecting the Reading with Scripture” in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, Volume 2. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.) p. 233. 2 William Willimon, Acts, Interpretation Commentary Series. (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988.) p. 84.
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[1] Gary W. Charles, “Commentary 1: Connecting the Reading with Scripture” in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, Volume 2. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.) p. 233. [2] William Willimon, Acts, Interpretation Commentary Series. (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988.) p. 84.
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Yes, we are still in the Easter season of the church year, and we are looking for signs of resurrection all around us. From something so simple as rain “greening up” the near dead grass and plants, to two new Rockledge High scholarship recipients being grateful for opportunities to improve their futures, to my experience with a friend this week who saw for the first time her own culpability in the chaos events of her life coupled with her desire to live differently, to a new Pope that like his Savior and predecessor seem to be concerned for the poor and disenfranchised in the world. If we have our eyes open, our hearts receptive, we will see signs of the Spirit’s resurrection work around us. Where have you witnessed resurrection this past week? I want to thank you for the continuing education/retreat opportunity you afforded me these past 10 days. As you might imagine, pastors must recharge so that we can be more aware of the needs around us, more courageous to speak to those needs, and more compliant with the Spirit’s direction for the church. It is no easy task even with the wonderful leadership I am surrounded by in this church. So, thank you again. For these past 2 years I have been fortunate to participate in a women clergy renewal program offered by Benedictine Sisters, and we are their last class to participate in this way for the past 20 years. The new thing they are planning for in the future is localized women clergy support led by some past participants. You might say that it is the beginning of a resurrection event as the project moves forward, because in the church as in all things, change must happen. We, in the church, are reluctant to embrace change – well, because change is hard. We like familiarity. We like knowing what to expect and we like doing things as we have always done them. But the world changes around us and if we are stuck in our silos, so to speak, then we cannot address, and in some cases embrace, what is happening around us. The biggest issue facing us these days is our enmeshment with the culture around us. We must be willing to do as Jesus did during the course of his ministry here on earth – to speak truth to power, to lift up the disenfranchised, to help the poor and sick, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, and to chastise the religious right of his day. This kind of ministry was not popular in his day and it is not popular in our day either. It is much easier to just go along with what the culture deems important. Our Acts passage today is written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke. He calls Tabitha (named Dorcas in Greek) a disciple. Gary Charles reminds us that she is the only NT woman designated as a “disciple” and her work was to care for the poor, to do charitable acts in her community, and to confront religious and political power when they opposed God’s purpose.[1] She did not “stay in her place” as Will Willimon says.[2] She moved out of her comfort zone, listened to God’s call in her life, and followed where the Spirit led in a time in which women did not lead anything. Would that we all have her kind of courage! Willimon goes on to say that “in the new early Christian community, no none stays in his or her place. Common fishermen preach to the temple authorities, paralyzed old men are up and walking about changing lives, and a woman nick-named ‘Gazelle’ heads a welfare program among the poor in Joppa.” She was making a difference in the lives of those who were around her in the community. And one of those fishermen, who had the temerity to step out of his comfort zone and listen to God’s call in his life, responded to the worried messages he received. When Peter arrived in Joppa, Tabitha had already died. Now, he gets to demonstrate another resurrection story. Friends, resurrection is never a one and done thing. It happens more times than we think. It seems too fantastical to believe, though, doesn’t it? Most of the time our minds are closed, our hearts have shrunk, and our eyes do not believe what we see or can’t see. Instead of falling into the mindset of “ain’t it awful”, Peter chose to exercise his faith and listen to the Spirit’s guidance. And his faithful response led to another resurrection story. Brian was a troubled young man. DUIs had taken away his license and he was running with a crowd just like him – troubled, thinking they were invincible, and looking to cause problems. His parents were divorced and his father had died at a fairly young age in a factory accident. His Mom loved him and did the best she could with a troubled adolescent. His step-father also did the best he could, teaching him the sport of diving and then sending him to diving school in Texas. An idea formed and his imagination grew until he was able to make this hobby into a business, and my nephew has done well, in spite of his addictive past. He reminds me of countless other people I have known over the years who have risen from the chaos of their lives to do a new thing. (Another resurrection story.) I remember a Presbytery meeting in South Alabama about 15 years ago. It was a particularly difficult meeting with the controversial topic of ordaining gay and lesbian pastors/leaders and affirming same sex marriages in our Presbyterian denomination. There were two pastors at the Presbytery meeting that day on opposite sides of the issue who argued passionately for their side/their belief and then it came time for the worship service and communion. Those same two pastors stood at the Table together and publicly stated that they were brothers in Christ and together would welcome each other and all people to God’s Table of Grace. I remember their interaction together at the Table changed the whole tenor of the meeting from one of contention to one of unity and love in spite of differences. There are many resurrection stories, and I suspect you know one or two yourself. In each case the person or persons involved placed themselves in the right place at the right time in order to see resurrection happen, and then were willing to be transformed by it. Peter came to the home immediately after being summoned and relied upon the Spirit to help him do the amazing work of transformation/resurrection for a disciple who was making a difference in the life of her community. Tabitha/Dorcas was a disciple of Christ who followed Jesus by caring for the least and lost in her community. She did so much that she was sorely missed when she died. Now that is a witness! Peter responded to the call and chose to rely upon the Spirit to help bring a miracle to her and to that community. He placed himself in the position to expect it. What is it that you expect today? I am reminded today of a Wendell Berry’s poem, entitled “Practice Resurrection.” Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And you will have a window in your head. Not even your future will be a mystery anymore. Your mind will be punched in a card and shut away in a little drawer. When they want you to buy something they will call you. When they want you to die for profit they will let you know. So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it. Denounce the government and embrace the flag. Hope to live in that free republic for which it stands. Give your approval to all you cannot understand. Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered he has not destroyed. Ask the questions that have no answers. Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos can predict the motions of your mind, lose it. Leave it as a sign to mark the false trail, the way you didn’t go. Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.
Friends, we are invited to open our eyes, unstop our ears, and lift our hearts to recognize God is not finished yet, that there are signs of resurrection all around us. May we, like Peter, come to expect it. AMEN.
[1] Gary W. Charles, “Commentary 1: Connecting the Reading with Scripture” in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, Volume 2. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.) p. 233. 2 William Willimon, Acts, Interpretation Commentary Series. (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988.) p. 84.
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[1] Gary W. Charles, “Commentary 1: Connecting the Reading with Scripture” in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, Volume 2. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.) p. 233. [2] William Willimon, Acts, Interpretation Commentary Series. (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988.) p. 84.