Acts 9:36-43
Aurelia’s story
In the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala, 90% of people are living in poverty. The region is home to the Indigenous Q’eqchi’ (Co-WAY-chee) people. Men in the community often seek work away from their homes, while many women grow crops to feed their families.
Aurelia is a community leader, a mother of eight and a beloved grandmother. Record high temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns have hit farmers like her hard. Water sources are drying up or being polluted by industry in communities like Aurelia’s. Aurelia and her neighbours now walk for around four hours each day during the two trips they must make to collect safe, clean water.
Aurelia has seen first-hand the impact of the climate crisis. ‘Climate change has been killing our crops, and this is our food,’ she says. ‘As the plants are dying, the next thing that will die is us.’
But she isn’t giving up. Congcoop, Christian Aid’s partner in Guatemala, supports communities with agricultural resources and training that help them to become more climate resilient. Aurelia took up the opportunity to gain new skills with Congcoop. She’s combining her deep knowledge and understanding of her land with innovative techniques to make organic fertiliser, construct rainwater collection systems, and grow a wider range of crops.
With Congcoop’s support, Aurelia is using her cacao harvest to make chocolate products to sell at a local market. ‘I feel very joyful and grateful when I’m preparing chocolate,’ Aurelia says. ‘I make cocoa products with all my heart! Perhaps that’s why they have such a good flavour!’
Aurelia has a big multi-generational family to take care of. But she’s always looking to help more people in her community. ‘I really give my life to my neighbours, sharing my knowledge with them,’ she told Christian Aid.
Life for Aurelia and her community remains tough, and as the climate crisis intensifies, she fears things will get tougher. Enduring droughts, storms and fierce heat, Aurelia can see the impacts of climate change accelerating. ‘There was a prediction this would happen in the future,’ she says, ‘but it has come earlier. This is very worrying for our kids and especially our grandkids.’
‘I want to tell donors to continue supporting Christian Aid,’ Aurelia says, ‘because through Congcoop, they’ve been supporting us.’
Aurelia continues to serve her family and community, full of hope of a better future for her children and grandchildren.
There are some characters in in the bible who we only glimpse in a short passage. But that does not mean they are there by accident or mistakenly included. Not at all! They are included and mentioned because they are really important. Important enough for our God to inspire the writers to include them in the bible narrative.
In our reading from Acts we meet one such person, a disciple of Jesus – Tabitha. (her name in Aramiac), and in Greek, Dorcas. Her name means a gazelle. Gazelles are very beautiful, elegant, graceful creatures and mentioned quite a few times in the bible.
From this passage in Acts, we see that Tabitha lived up to the meaning of her name.
We learn a number of things about her.
Tabitha has a vital place in a community of widows. She may have been a widow herself. Throughout scripture, our attention is drawn to widows as a group who are vulnerable in ancient society, often being without resources and protection. Jesus always spoke up for the weak and vulnerable, calling people to love and care for them prayerfully and practically. In fact, he told off the religious leaders for taking advantage and not caring for them and others in need.
We don't know if Tabitha was wealthy or living in poverty as many other widows were. What we do know is that she was generous with whatever she had. Verse 36 tells us she was devoted to good works and acts of charity. Her life was marked by generosity. She did whatever she could to help those in need. Her heart overflowed with love and compassion towards the needy in her community. She saw a need and did something about it. She used her gifts and skills in knitting to make and distribute blankets and other clothing items to those in need.
Sadly, this loving, caring person, a pillar of the community, died. But some of the disciples heard that Peter was in the neighbouring town and sent for him to come.
At this point, we need to pause, and briefly recollect what’s happened so far in Acts. Pentecost has happened - when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, enabling and equipping them to preach, teach and demonstrate God’s resurrection power in acts of healing, raising the dead and confronting the powers of evil. Many people come to believe in Jesus. But there is fierce opposition and persecution breaks out, scattering these early followers of Jesus. We also read about Paul’s wonderful encounter with Jesus which transformed his heart of hate to a heart of love. Peter performs many healings and speaks God’s word with great boldness. So, when we get to our passage, we have to bear in mind that these people in Joppa will have heard all these stories. Perhaps some of them were witnesses to these events. Just a few verses before our reading, we hear how Peter had healed a paralytic who had been bed-ridden for eight years in Jesus’s name. Many put their faith and trust in Jesus because of this.
So that is why they send for Peter. They would certainly have hoped for a miracle.
When Peter arrived, the widows who were gathered in the room mourning, spoke of Tabitha’s love and generosity; they showed him the tunics and other clothing items that she had made and given them. As we read these verses in Acts, we are witnesses to this community remembering and grieving Tabitha. The widows’ tears testify to a life lived in the service of others.
But the story doesn’t end there. Peter asks them to leave the room, kneels and prays to Jesus and then says to the dead body: Tabitha, get up.’ And she does, eyes wide open, sat upright in bed looking at Peter!
Wow! Imagine the tears of joy and laughter as she meets with all those who are gathered in the house. There must have been great rejoicing, celebration and thanksgiving to God for his kindness and mercy at this miracle.
Theologian Willie James Jennings says this about Tabitha: ‘This woman matters, and the work she does for widows matters to God. It matters so much that God will not allow death the last word. Tabitha is an activist who lives again in resurrection power.’
Tabitha has more to do, and more hope and joy and love to offer and to receive within her community. I’m sure she continued to live a generous life, loving and helping people, using her skills and gifts in the service of Jesus to bless those in need.
In a sense, Aurelia’s story is not dissimilar. As a member of the Indigenous community in Guatemala, she dedicates herself not only to improving the life of her immediate family but also to sharing her training with her whole communityto tackle the effects of climate change. She is making a real difference. She’s doing what she can. With the help of Christian Aid, she is learning new skills, sharing those with others in the community and seeing the benefits firsthand.
Like Tabitha and Aurelia, we’re called by God to be activists, to serve others and to share generously what we have. Tabitha’s resurrection is a gift and a sign not just to the widows who mourned their loss but also to us through the words of scripture. That resurrection power is one we can all share in as we put our love for our neighbours, both those close at home and around the world, into action. And with God’s help, our small actions can make a big impact.
Amen.