Dorcas

 One day, in the city of Joppa, a woman named Dorcas died. Many people came to cry because they felt so sad. “Why did Dorcas have to die?” a woman cried. “Dorcas was a wonderful friend! She made this robe for me.”

Another woman sat rocking back and forth, wishing that Dorcas had not died. “She made a tunic for my son when I had no clothes for him.”

“She made a coat to keep me warm,” a man said.

“And she made clothes for my baby,” another woman added.

Dorcas, who now lay dead, had at some time helped everyone who came. The room was filled with the sound of weeping.

“It does not seem right that someone as kind as Dorcas should get so sick and die so young.”

One man stood up. “Have any of you heard of a man named Peter?”

“No,” The others shook their heads. “Who is he?”

“He was a friend of Jesus of Nazareth, the man some people say rose from the dead. Right now Peter is nearby in the town of Lydda.”

“But what can Peter do?”

“I don’t know, but we can ask him and see.”

Two men left the house where Dorcas was lying on her bed. They hurried to find Peter, one of Jesus’s special friends. 

“I am not God,” Peter told them.  “I have no power over death.  Only Jesus does. But take me to your friend Dorcas, and we will see what the Lord will do.”

Peter went with the two men as they hurried back to Dorcas’s home and followed them into her room. When he saw all the people, he asked them to leave. 

Peter knew that Jesus had seen the many kind things Dorcas had done for the poor people, and he knew that Jesus understood how much these people loved and missed her. 

So Peter prayed over her dead body. 

Then Peter spoke, “Get up, Dorcas.”

She sat up. “Oh, my,” Dorcas blinked and looked up at Peter. “Why am I in bed?”

Peter held out his hand. “You were dead, but now you are alive again.”

Dorcas stood with Peter’s help. Then he called her friends to come back into the room. They cried and laughed with joy when they saw her. 

“She is alive! Dorcas is alive again!”

“Jesus is the Lord, the Son of God!”

Everyone hugged Dorcas and talked about how happy they were to know Jesus, who could bring the dead back to life. 

 

 

Dorcas was only one woman, but she was kind and helped many poor people. She did what she could do best when she made clothes for people who needed them. They loved her, so they went to someone they believed could help her, Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples. Peter showed them that only the power of Jesus can bring a person back to life. Why did people love Dorcas so much? How did they know that she loved them?

What are some of the things you do best? Have you ever made a gift for someone? Have you ever taken time to help someone? Have you ever given some of your things to someone who needed them? How did the people feel about you afterwards? How do you know? Was God pleased? How do you know?