May 6, 2019
For full passage click: Acts 9: 36-39 …“Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity.” vs. 36
Periodically in scripture, we see glimpses of what life in those tumultuous years following the resurrection of Jesus must have been like. We don’t get a lot of detail, just some names and tidbits of information that whet our appetite for more. Here we encounter an early disciple whose name seems familiar, both to fans of Bewitched, an old television sitcom, and to members of the ELCW (Evangelical Lutheran Church Women). Tabitha (or Dorcas in the Greek) was an active and involved disciple living in the coastal city of Joppa. Evidently she was a widow who had devoted her life to making clothing for the poor and other acts of charity. Along with many other women, including the first witnesses to the resurrection, she was an active follower of Jesus and well-known in the early church. As such, she was the forerunner of a vast multitude of women who have given their time and energy to serving and loving in the name of Jesus. These women have been the backbone of the church and have consistently lifted high the light of Christ. Often unappreciated, they have been the source of life and energy. And we can rejoice that, in recent years, they’ve been able to move out of the sewing rooms and into seminaries and positions of pastoral leadership. With strong women as leaders, the future of the church is in good hands.
Thought for the Day: What special gifts do women bring to leadership?
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