Keeping Goodness Alive

Martin Richard 

Weeks ago, as I was planning out my preaching schedule for Seneca Presbyterian Church, I was attracted to the story of Tabitha in the 9^th chapter of Acts (Acts 9: 36-43). It comes from the Revised Common Lectionary for this Sunday. That lectionary focuses on stories from Acts on the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost. If you have never read this brief but fascinating story, I invite you to do so. It is delightful! 

          During that planning process, the sermon title came to me immediately: Keeping Goodness Alive. Back then, I had my mind on our stewardship campaign – which we do in the spring. The women in this story reminded me so much of the women of Seneca Presbyterian. We have wonderful seamstresses – and cooks. But most of all, we have a wonderfully compassionate congregation that cares deeply for one another and for the community. Keeping that “goodness” alive – that significant part of our church’s identity and soul – was what I had in mind then.

          That was before the world unraveled this week. As our lectionary study group gathered on Wednesday evening, we were still dealing with just the Boston Marathon tragedy. Its sorrow and shock were still real. We knew nothing of the remarkable events that would transpire on Friday.

In the shadow of that humanity, we talked about the humanity of this story. What were the women expecting when they summoned Peter in the wake of their dear friend’s death? Did they expect resurrection? They did not ask for it specifically, but did they hope Peter would take the hint? Did Peter expect resurrection when he knelt by the bed and prayed? Or was the Holy Spirit’s power to bring life unexpected for everyone? One in our group had a fascinating observation. He believed Peter was praying for guidance as to what he should do, not just for the power to do it.  

          We also struggled with the reality that we do not expect physical resurrections in our own day. I’m grateful that my people do not expect me to do what Peter did when they invite me into their lives at the time of death. But that leaves us with a difficult question: How does resurrection happen today? How do we keep goodness alive?

          I had in mind the image of Martin Richard, the eight year old victim of Monday’s bombings. His plea - “No more hurting people” – dominated the stories of earlier in the week. Now we have images of police officers and FBI agents going door to door in a persistent quest to bring safety back to a quiet neighborhood in an amazing city. So where does the power for goodness live in our world? We will explore that question as we gather for worship at Seneca Pres this Sunday. We would love to have you join us!