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Sermon May 12, 2019
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C
http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Easter/CEaster4_RCL.html
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. Acts 9:36
Please be seated.
On Monday evening, I was watching TV when my phone rang. I was delighted, but also a little afraid, when the name Pennyfeather appeared on my screen.
The number was that of Miss Patery Pennyfeather, We were close neighbors in Harrisburg, beginning in 1983. I was just 27 years old and Miss Penny (that’s what we call her) was 50. Our kitchen windows looked out upon each other. My home faced Second Street and her home faced Muench Street, making our kitchen windows visible to each other. Yes, we did wave at each other through our kitchen windows.
Miss Penny came from a large family in Florida. She had relocated to Pennsylvania as a migrant farmworker. She never finished high school. She worked as a janitor at the Pennsylvania capitol building, bought her home, raised her 5 children as a single parent, sending some to college. Miss Penny was and still is a fabulous cleaner. What a pleasure to walk into the house after Miss Penny had been there to clean.
Most importantly Miss Penny was an amazing neighbor. She looked out for the children in the neighborhood and always asked how they were doing in school. She cooked like her 5 children were still home. She’d call me up frequently to tell me to come over and get a plate of food. Then she’d chastise me for not taking enough food! Her collard greens were the best and she did teach me how to clean them.
One day, Miss Penny was part of a large family dinner at our house. My daughter’s piano recital was that evening and 14 of us had gathered for dinner. Miss Penny said she was tired and did not want to go to the recital with us, so we bid her good-bye and rushed off to the recital, leaving all of the dishes to be washed and a messy kitchen. We arrived home after the recital to find our kitchen totally cleaned up from the dinner. Miss Penny had a key to our home and had come in after we left to clean up!
Miss Penny was like a mother to me. Although my parents had died by the time I was ordained, Miss Penny came to my ordination and I felt like my parents were right there.
Even when I wasn’t living in Harrisburg, Miss Penny would call me every couple of months. She’d let me know she was thinking about me and praying for me. She’d send her love to me and all of my family and friends.
Just as I was moving to Newport in 2015, Miss Penny was relocating to her daughter’s home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two years ago, she was able to visit and I was able to see her.
She has had some illness in the past few years, though, and her phone calls are not as frequent. When the phone rang Monday evening, I wasn’t sure if Miss Penny would be on the other end of the line or if it would be a family member of hers telling me some bad news.
What joy…it was Miss Penny. She sounded wonderful and did all of the asking about my family and friends and passed her love along to all of them.
I thought of Miss Penny when I read about Tabitha or Dorcas. Miss Penny is one of the Tabitha’s in my life. She was always devoted to good works and acts of charity. She would babysit children, make food, stay with people when they were ill, clean their homes…anything to help someone out.
Who are the Tabitha’s in your life? Those people who are kind, loving and devoted? We have many Tabitha’s in our church, don’t you think? And how are you like Tabitha? What good works and acts of charity are you devoted to?
Tabitha was loved deeply. We see that in the story. When she had died, the people sent for Peter and he came right away. There was so much grief at Tabitha’s death. The people showed Peter all that Tabitha had done for them. There was going to be a big hole in the community with Tabitha’s death.
Peter was able to revive Tabitha and restore her to the community that so desperately needed her. What joy and awe that must have been. Yet, we know that does not always happen.
This story about Tabitha reminds us of all of those who have been like a mother to us, especially meaningful on this Mother’s Day. We praise God for their presence in our lives and ask that we can be like them.
Amen
