Sermon, The Ven. Pat Zifcak, May 11, 2025
SERMON FOR MOTHER’S DAY, EASTER 4, 5/11/2025
Oh Happy Day that God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Today there are several events to celebrate. Bishop Julia, our first woman Diocesan, was here on Wednesday to celebrate with us and affirm Won-Jae as our rector, we rejoice in the historic election of the first American Pope, and we give thanks on Mothers’ Day for all who have enriched our lives by their love and care for us.
It is significant that on this Sunday we have the story of Dorcas introduced to us by name in our lesson from Acts this morning. She is a disciple of Jesus whose good works and acts of charity bear witness to his ministry and his commandment to love one another. Her death causes such grief among the women she has cared for that the disciples in Joppa, knowing Peter was nearby in Lydda, sent for him. As Peter is taken upstairs to Dorcas, he sends the women out of the room, kneels and prays. As he commands that she “get up”, Dorcas opens her eyes, takes Peter’s hand, and stands.
This resurrection story should feel familiar in its telling to others we know, especially the raising of Lazarus. It is the women who mourn and, in their grief, cry out for healing. Their faith ignites compassion in the one who can save. Jesus commands Lazarus to “come out!” Peter commands Dorcas to “get up!” Two words spirit- filled. Not a sermon but an act of faith. Powerful images that bring others to believe that Jesus’ ministry did not end with his death but continues in Peter and in the Church.
“Come out” “Get up”, words that require action. Lazarus and Dorcas are not passive in their healing. They respond. Dorcas made clothes and gave them to women in need. She used her gifts for the good of others. She was compassionate and charitable. Dorcas Internationa, named for her good works, is an organization that provides for immigrants arriving here. Although providing clothing is still part of their ministry, those seeking refuge receive integrated services fostering cross-cultural understanding and inclusive community. They have been nurturing strong partnerships for over 100 years.
I borrowed this list of five lessons we can learn from Dorcas:
“Use the gifts you have been given.
Be faithful.
Open your heart for ministry.
Make service a priority.
Remember that you are God’s handiwork created to do good and to love others.
Out of curiosity I learned that there are almost 300 women who are named in scripture. That was a surprise. I wondered also how many women we recognize in our calendar of Saints. I went to “Brightest and Best” which is a companion to "Lesser Feasts and Fasts". Written in 2001 it does not contain the most recent saints to be honored, including three deaconesses. There are under 30. I thought it might be fun to share some of their stories but our sequence hymn is really a much better tribute to all those omen who have expressed their faith in actions that have changed the world for good.
Let me repeat two verses:
God of the women who walked Jesus’ Way
Giving their resources, learning to pray;
Mary, Joanna, Susanna, and more-
May we give freely as they did before.
God of the women long put to the test,
Left out of stories, forgotten, oppressed,
Quietly asking, “Who smiled at my birth?”-
In Jesus’ dying you show us our worth.
I want to return to our texts for a bit longer. There is such a difference between the first readings, the psalm and the Gospel. The faith that is so present in the raising of Dorcas brings great comfort to the psalmist and to the dreamer in Revelation. Green pastures, still waters, abundance, mercy. “The one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat....” The Lord will be our shepherd.
In the Gospel, the test continues. The challenge to Jesus as Messiah continues. “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” “I have told you”, Jesus answers. Even with all the testimonies about Jesus and the acts he has done, the authorities are still demanding proof. And proof is not the way to faith. If we are waiting to be convinced of who Jesus is, then proof will never be enough. We will spend our lives searching for something that cannot be proved. Afterall, that is the mark of faith – the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. All we can do is live our lives daily to God, trusting in God’s grace and mercy, knowing that we are loved beyond measure. Find the psalm that brings you comfort, read the story that brings you hope, tell the story that shares your faith, and find the place that feels like home. Jesus will meet you there.
