Peter healed from bigotry

Sunday April 25th, Acts 9: 36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas, both words mean gazelle), who was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" Last week we heard of Peter being forgiven and sent into the world instead of the sea, to fish. This week we find him near Joppa, in the area around Tel-Aviv. It is here that Peter has the vision of the blanket, the unclean animals and the voice of God telling him not to call unclean anything God had made. Tabitha who also has a Greek name, would have been one of those unclean things Peter thought he might want to avoid. Acts calls her a disciple, not long before Peter might disagree. This is a story of healing and of healing. Tabatha, the disciple some would call an “outsider” is healed to continue to do the work all disciples are called to do is brought back to life. Peter, the leader of the church is healed from the bigotry of considering Tabatha, and all like her, as outsiders. It calls us to look at the question, that in our world today what disciples do we call unclean and what do we need to do to experience Peter healing?