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. At that time she became ill and died. Acts 9:36-37a
Hidden inside the book of Acts are amazing tales of the apostles who are filled with the Holy Spirit and who perform miracles in Jesus’s name. Throughout the book, we encounter lesser-known disciples like Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek).
We learn that Dorcas lived in Joppa. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. She becomes ill. She dies, which becomes an opportunity for Peter to show the power of God. Dorcas is raised from the dead.
Clues in the text reveal that her life impacted others through her good works and charity but also through her beloved relationships. Her fellow disciples call upon Peter to come. We don’t know if Dorcas was a mother, but we know she had a community of fellow disciples who loved her and gathered to share memories.
That she is named in Acts, that Peter goes to her, that God raises her encourages us to give thanks to God for those who have modeled and witnessed an active and living faith around us. Dorcas’s life was a witness to the living God. Her being raised from the dead was a reminder that Christ’s power over death was still very much among them.
Who is a Dorcas in your life? How might you like to be remembered by your community of faith as well as your family? How do you share memories and give thanks to God when fellow disciples die? How do you experience and understand resurrection?