Fourth Sunday of Easter Year C 11th May 2025
Lectionary Readings: Acts 9 v36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7 v9-17; John 10 v22-30.
The Gift and Work of the Holy Spirit
Luke, the writer of Acts, tells us that Tabitha (Greek name Dorcas), a follower of Jesus, was raised from death by the power of the Holy Spirit, thanks to Peter responding to a call for help and turning to God in prayer, seeking an out-pouring of God’s healing grace.
When Peter reached the scene, he found many widows there crying. They showed him the coats and clothes that Dorcas had made (for others) while she was still alive. After Peter had sent everyone out of the room he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body of Dorcas and said “Tabitha, get up!” The woman opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Peter called in the widows and the other followers and showed them that Dorcas had been raised from death. Everyone in Joppa heard what had happened and many of them put their faith in the Lord. (Acts 9 v 39b-42).
Luke has already noted that the ‘Holy Spirit encouraged the growth of the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria’. (Acts 9 v31).
Luke places the story about Dorcas between the healing of Aeneas (Acts 9 v32-35) and Peter’s vision and encounter with Cornelius which led Peter to say, “Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from. This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them”. (Acts 10 v34-36).
Peter was demonstrating that, just as Jesus had said, he and the other disciples would not only be able to perform the same type of healing miracles as he had done, but also be able to discern God’s will. Gospel writers, Luke and John, suggest that the key to such acts, was the blessing of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon the disciples, after Jesus had returned to the Father.
(see John 14 v 8-16 and Acts 5 v12).
Hymn writer Brian Wren, speaks of the gift and work of the Holy Spirit;
(Singing the Faith No369)
Baptise us with your Spirit, majestic, humble Christ,
to overcome temptation; assailed, but not enticed.
Baptise us with your Spirit, that in each other’s eyes
we may discern your purpose, and cast away disguise.
Baptise us with your Spirit to careful, patient, thought,
and habit-forming virtues aspired to, copied, taught,
till clothed with new creation, self-critical, reformed,
we demonstrate the gospel, to you alone conformed.
Baptise us with your Spirit in unrestricted ways
that moves us, mind and body, to laugh and shout and praise.
Send us out to clear the rubble of each defensive wall,
inviting to your table our neighbours, one and all.
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version.