Observation

There is a very wonderful icon in our Mother of God’s little Chapel – Holy Annunciation.
It is an icon of St. Peter raising St. Tabitha. St. Peter is standing above her as she is laying on her couch, while the women standing behind her are mourning. I was startled by what one doesn’t see as I was waiting for the service to begin. It is the triad that is part of the intent of the icon, God the third ‘person’ in that image.
(Note: In any icon there is always the "outside" image of God. God is seen in a variety of ways, as a small Christ with a blessing hand in the corner, or as in the case of the Annunciation icon or Descent of the Holy Spirit icon as a circle with rays and perhaps a dove descending and sometimes with no image depicted but an understood Presence.)_

How like the Trinity that is in concept, three persons, The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit, all entities loving one another in absolute harmony, and One in thought, in regard for one another, and in equality. Behold, the One who makes the healing possible. And what a revelation in the concept of healing. The doer, the do-ee, and the God Head making all things happen.

Returning to the theme of the previous two blogs written about giving to God on a personal level = it could be said that a gift needs to be especially aimed at the receiver. We wouldn’t give a cook a shovel, unless the cook also loved to garden.

One thing we surely know about God is how much He loves his people. What great lengths he has gone to help them out of their fall into sin! (departure from God).

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. (James 2:8)

The Peter/Tabitha icon is a type for who we need to be in our relation to God - as loving, helping people and in our relation to our neighbor - as loving, helping people.


Some background:
36In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcasb), who was always doing good and helping the poor. 37About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38Lydda 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!”
39Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
40Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. 42This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.