A church in Pennsylvania reported the death of one of their members recently. Though this woman and her husband, who had died a few years before, had been immensely wealthy, people spoke not of their wealth, although they were very generous, but of what this woman did.

They talked about the cookies she would bake for church functions, the in-home visiting she did, the leadership she provided for the youth, and the soapsuds that lathered her arms as she did dishes after every church dinner. People felt the need to share these memories because this is what they knew they would really miss — the selfless service that came naturally and easily.

And they also talked about how much they were going to miss her cinnamon rolls.

Paul might have recognized this woman, when he wrote 1 Timothy 6:17-19: "As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life."

Tabitha was a very similar sort of person, one known to be "devoted to good works and acts of charity" (Acts 9:36). When Tabitha died, her friends sent for the Apostle Peter. When he arrived, people were quick to show him the same sorts of things. As it says, "All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them" (Acts 9:39).

Remember that widows in the ancient world could not get jobs or take care of themselves. They were dependant upon living relatives, and if they had none, they were totally dependent on charity.

This doesn't mean the widows only thought of Tabitha in terms of what she had done for them. It means they realized the relationship of receiving and giving had ended. When Peter became an agent of healing, when the Holy Spirit brought her back to life, it was a symbol of the reunion we shall all enjoy when we are restored to each other.

The Apostle Paul says that none of us live to ourselves and none of us die to ourselves. There is a link, a tie that binds us together, and although it is a matter of faith, something that is unseen, that cannot be weighed or measured, it becomes visible in the ways we practice mutual aid.

What exactly is mutual aid? The definitions vary, but if experts can't agree what it is, they can certainly agree what mutual aid is not. For one thing, mutual aid is never having things work out evenly. Within the body of Christ there is giving and receiving between this person and that, and it never works out that one person gives or receives precisely what another person gives or gets. We pray, we bake, we clean, we teach, we cry, we spend, we rest, we lift, we tote, we glue little stars on the top of construction paper stables with tiny hands, and we wrap soap and toothpaste and headache capsules into towels to send overseas with wrinkled hands. We write checks with tired hands and we wrap energized hands around hymnals to sing all the louder for the benefit of those about to be baptized and we bend our knees as our trembling hands prepare to wash the feet of a brother or sister as we get about as close to Jesus as we're likely to get this side of the river and it never, never, never works out evenly. Mutual aid is about tangibles and intangibles. The spiritual giving and the material giving work out the same in the eyes we're granted through scripture. We're amphibians, half spirit and half body, as C. S. Lewis used to say, so making sure the survivors of a disaster are prayed for, and their stuff replaced, matters pretty much the same.

Within the body of Christ the rules are thrown out the window. We get more than we bargained for, we give more than we need. On the morning of the church potluck, you begin to count the platters and realize folks are bringing two or three dishes this day, instead of the one they were instructed.

That is grace. The conventional wisdom is that we're supposed to give value for value, and receive the same. A pound of potatoes should cost the same for everyone. Equal effort should lead to equal reward. That's precisely the way it should work in the secular world. We need that protection, because we're fallen creatures.

We should, however, be uncomfortable if that attitude seeps into our corporate life as a church. The fact that we drop off a pie at your house doesn't mean you need to send one back. You might drop off some extra brownies months later, if you're in the baking mood, or better yet, you might take those brownies over to someone who just began attending the church. If someone visits you in the hospital, you might visit a totally different person when it's their turn, or arrange the covered dishes to be taken by your Sunday school class to the family.

Mutual aid is an essential element of the Christian faith. It's one of the building blocks of the Christian community. It's found in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Mutual aid is tricky. When scriptures mention having all things in common, for the most part there is some semblance of private ownership, but perhaps stewardship would be a better word. It is expected that in greater and lesser ways that we take care of each other and put our stuff at each others' disposal when the need is there.

This mutuality is designed to protect God's people as individuals and a community. It's found, for instance, in the Ten Commandments. The rules set up the framework for a just and equitable society, but Exodus 20:12 is especially helpful in understanding mutual aid. The verse reads: "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." Here is a call to the people of God to take care of older, perhaps less productive members. Although the commandment is written in the context of a male-oriented patriarchal society it guarantees protection for women as well as men. It is aimed at the protection of individuals (some of whom may be less deserving than others) but the rewards are promised to the entire body and not to individuals. Taking care of one's elders does not guarantee a long life to the individual caregiver. We all know that some parents outlive their children on many sad occasions, but this level of care to all guarantees long life and secure life for all, a higher quality of life for the people as a whole. In other words, an action taken by one member of the community benefits others besides that individual, and raises the quality of life for all. This mutuality is at the heart of the concept of mutual aid in the scriptures.

Consider an essential part of the Torah, the Law of Moses contained in the first five books of the Bible. "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 19:9-10).

This is not an isolated verse. On several occasions, God's Word is directed toward the haves, with regard to the have nots. The message is clear. A way has to be found to take care of everyone. It's not a question of voluntary charity. It's mutual aid.

The community of God is commanded to find a way for individuals to take care of each other. In the case of these laws, the door was opened even for an outsider, Ruth the Moabite, a member of a nation despised by Israelites, to take part in the bounty of the land and ultimately to become a part of the faith story.

The impatience of the prophets at the people's inability to share God's justice and bounty is evident in all their pages. "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" (cf. Hosea 6:6). Indeed, many report that when they read the Bible from cover to cover they are surprised to discover that the one consistent theme in scripture from first to last was God's call to justice, and that call had a definite economic edge.

The duty of the people of God to take care of each other is explored in a much more intentional way in the New Testament. From the beginning, there is the assumption in the ministry of Jesus that all are included in the circle of care. Lepers, ethnic outsiders, tax collectors, untouchables, women, all who might be marginalized, are touched and accepted by Jesus, and brought into the community. They can then choose to become followers, able to help in the caring for each other. Others marvel that these people can be accepted and protected, but Jesus defends their inclusion.

So it is not surprising that the early Christians assumed that they were responsible for the care of all who touched their community. Moreover, this included not just spiritual, but financial assistance on the part of the believers.

We see this reciprocity expressed first in the lives of those who cared for Jesus. The picture emerges during his ministry of a large body of believers who moved from place to place. In addition to Jesus and the twelve apostles, there are references to a sizable number of disciples, male and female. The fact is that all of these people needed to eat and drink, and a place to sleep. Mary of Magdala, after careful Bible study, emerges as a woman of means, possibly of the upper class, who helped support the ministry of Jesus along with several other women, including Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna (Luke 8:1-3). The home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Judea also provided for Jesus during his trips south toward Jerusalem. The disciples had every expectation that the community of faith would take care of their needs (Luke

10:1-9), and in addition they shared out of a common purse (John 12:6).

Mutual aid is different than charity. True charity expects nothing in return, especially because it is often directed toward those outside of the fellowship. But mutual aid within the fellowship of believers (the Greek word is koinonia) is more than an obligation. It is joy.

Jesus admonished the people to "Love your neighbor as yourself," which is drawn from Leviticus 19:18. Among the most famous passages which illustrate the intention of the group to practice mutual aid and assistance is this verse from Acts 4:32: "Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common."

Several other scriptures speak to the necessity of mutual aid. These include:

Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2

For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." — Galatians 5:14

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." — James 2:8

I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written, "The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little." — 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

In today's passage, we see that Tabitha gave much but probably died poor. There is no mention of oils for anointing or other things that might indicate wealth. Her real wealth lay in the high regard in which she was held by others. And when Tabitha was healed she returned to her work, not because she had to, but because there was no way to stop her!

Tabitha played an important part in her church. How do you think you will be viewed when it is your turn to be eulogized? How would you like to be remembered? How do we practice mutual aid among ourselves? Are we truly blest by the ties that bind us? Are we ready to serve each other?

We are saved by our faith, and not by our works, but as James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that faith without works is dead, and to quote him directly, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world" (James 1:27). 

There's a song that says, "They'll know we are Christians by our love." Let's hope so. Let's hope they know us by the mutual aid that we practice, by the caring we display for each other, by the words that we share and the lives that we live. And our living faith. Amen.