Want Transformation? Try An Upper Room
The Architecture of Transformation. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.
Our first scripture is from the Book of Acts, and you could be forgiven if it’s not one of the ones you have memorized by heart.
It’s the story of a woman named Tabitha, also called Dorcas, and her life and death as a disciple.
She was given the name and title of disciple, mathetria in Greek, and she’s the only woman given that title in the entire New Testament.
The community is convulsed with grief at her death. They clearly relied on her for leadership and service.
She mattered to them, deeply.
And so when she dies, the saints notify the leader of the entire fledgling Christian community, Peter.
Peter drops everything and comes to Joppa.
He finds her sisters in faith grieving deeply. They show him the evidence not just of her good works, the clothing she has made for the poor, but of how much she meant to them.
They struggle to see how they can go forward without her.
Peter sees how pivotal this female disciple was, this leader of the Joppa church, and he sends the mourners away.
He prays, and then he calls her by her name to rise up, and she does. She comes back to life.
No doubt the church and the entire community were overjoyed, and the text says that many people came to believe in Jesus after having heard about this event.
So that’s the basic story. But I want to call your attention to where this miracle occurs. Continue reading