The Commemoration of Dorcas (Tabitha), Lydia and Phoebe, Faithful Women, October 25th

Lessons:  Acts 16: 11-40;  Acts 9: 36-43;  Romans 16: 1-2

Prayer

Filled with thy Holy Spirit, gracious God, thine earliest disciples served Thee with the gifts each had been given: Lydia in business and stewardship, Dorcas in a life of charity and Phoebe as a deaconess who served many. Inspire us today to build up Thy Church with our gifts in hospitality, charity and bold witness to the Gospel of Christ;  who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

These women were exemplary Christians who demonstrated their faith by their material support of the Church.

• Dorcas (also known as Tabitha) was well-known and much loved for her acts of charity in the city of Joppa, especially for her making clothes for the poor. When Dorcas died suddenly, the members of her congregation sent to the neighboring city of Lydda for the Apostle Peter, who came and raised her from the dead (Acts 9:36–41).
• Lydia was a woman of Thyatira, who worked at Philippi selling a famous purple dye that was so much in demand in the ancient world. She was also a “worshiper of God” at the local synagogue. When the Apostle Paul encountered her in prayer among other proselyte women, his preaching of the Word brought Lydia to faith in Christ. She and her friends thus became the nucleus of the Christian community in Philippi (16:13–15, 40).
• Phoebe was another faithful woman associated with the Apostle Paul. She was a deaconess from Cenchrae (the port of Corinth) whom Paul sent to the church in Rome with his Epistle to the Romans. In it he writes of her support for the work of the early Church (Rom 16:1).

These holy women, who were made holy by Faith in Jesus.  They are acknowledged in the prayer above in their various vocations:  businesswoman, charitable worker and  deaconess. For instance:  Lydia was the first convert to the Faith in Europe.  And as a businesswoman who sold the dye of royal and costly purple, she might have been quite well-to-do.   I am struck by the non-judgmental listing of “business’  alongside with a “churchy”  sounding word, “deaconess” in the prayer above.  These are all vocations from the Lord, yes, even business!   

If you follow our blog, you know that my wife died on September 1, 2022.  After her death, I received many testimonials to Natalie’s testimonies to Christ. In a recent letter, the head of the technical team of the company that recently purchased Natalie’s place of business, wrote a hand-written letter about the two times she met Natalie.  She “…left an impression on me…” of a person, “…with a great positive outlook and of great enthusiasm”. I do not write  this to laud my wife, but I do laud and praise the Lord for her!  I write this for Natalie’s new supervisor and what she wrote then: the supervisor read that Natalie was a Christian, and the supervisor wrote: “I was very moved  to read of both of her life vocations.”  Amen!  I assume Natalie’s vocations as a chemist…and as a Christian,  and my wife, mother to our children and organist.

This Commemoration of these three Christian women shows that you have more than one vocation.  You may have many  vocations in this life:  husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, citizen of your nation, member of a congregation…all vocations, literally calling, from God to help and serve your neighbor.  These are temporal and urgent in love and care.  And the Lord calls you in the Gospel of His forgiveness in Jesus Christ, which is eternal, and lived out through your various callings in the order of creation.  Phoebe, Dorcas and Lydia had no titles nor degrees yet served their Lord.  They are remembered and the great are brought low and forgotten.  You might name a daughter Phoebe but not Herodias.

Let’s look at the vocation in business since so many Christians turn their noses up at such but not their money! If it weren’t for business, there would be no jobs.  There is no occupation that is displeasing to the Lord, except those occupied with evil and used for ignoble ends with sinful means.  Even a church vocation can be used to serve self and not the Lord and can become evil as witnessed by clergy sexual sins.  Businessmen and women can serve the Lord and His people, and not the self.  Daily repentance is turning toward the Lord our whole lives, our work and our wealth, to serve Him and His people. It is in our daily vocations that we can serve and love our neighbors as to Christ Himself, not to save ourselves, as Jesus has already done that, but that our neighbor be served and be pointed to the Savior.  Dorcas, Lydia and Phoebe did so by charity, hospitality and serving, not waiting for suspect government to help the poor, the stranger, the widow, but actual acts of corporate mercy through their vocations as charity worker, deaconess and businesswoman in Christ our Lord.  

Almighty God, You stirred to compassion the hearts of Your dear servants Dorcas, Lydia, and Phoebe to uphold and sustain Your Church by their devoted and charitable deeds. Give us the same will to love You, open our eyes to see You in the least ones, and strengthen our hands to serve You in others, for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.