Tuesday, June 2 — A Leader Who Cares
Some of the most important leadership in the world never gets a microphone. It happens with a needle and thread, a casserole dish, a quiet phone call to someone who's hurting.
Acts 9:36-42 — KJV 36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. 37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. 38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. 42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
Acts 9:36-42 — WEB 36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which when translated, means Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and acts of mercy which she did. 37 In those days, she became sick, and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 As Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. 39 Peter got up and went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter put them all out, and kneeled down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, get up!" She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand, and raised her up. Calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 This became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
Explanation
Joppa was a working seaport, and Tabitha — Dorcas in Greek — was the kind of woman who held a neighborhood together. Luke tells us she was "full of good works and almsdeeds," and then he gives us the evidence: when she died, the widows didn't just weep, they held up clothing. "Look — she made this. And this. She made mine." You can feel the room. These weren't expensive garments. They were the everyday coats and tunics of poor women who, in that economy, had nowhere to turn when a husband died. Dorcas saw them. And she sewed for them.
Notice the church's instinct in the crisis. They didn't form a committee. They sent two men running to Lydda for Peter — "come quickly." That urgency tells you what Dorcas meant to them. A leader who cares creates a community that can't imagine carrying on without her.
So why does this story land in a week about leadership, building toward Deborah? Because we tend to define leadership as the loud, visible, out-front kind — and Dorcas reminds us there's another kind that's just as essential. She led from a sewing room. She led by noticing exactly who was about to fall through the cracks and quietly making sure they didn't. Before God raises up a Deborah to rally an army, He raises up a thousand Dorcases who keep the vulnerable clothed and fed and seen. One kind of leadership gets the headline. The other kind makes the community worth saving.
The practical question for a Tuesday is uncomfortable in the best way: who needs what you already know how to make?Maybe it's not sewing. Maybe it's the friend who always has the right verse, the neighbor who shows up with soup, the coworker who quietly trains the nervous new hire. Dorcas didn't wait to be impressive. She used the gift in her hands on the people in front of her.
And here's the tender part: when she was gone, her work spoke. The coats preached. That's the legacy of a leader who cares — long after the noise of bigger names fades, somebody is still warm because you bothered. Care isn't a lesser calling. In God's economy, it's leadership of the highest order.
Thought for the Day Love sewn into ordinary days outlives us.
Reflection Question Who in your life is quietly slipping through the cracks — and what small, practical thing could you make or do for them this week?
Prayer Lord, thank You for the Dorcas-hearts who serve where no one's watching. Open our eyes to the people right in front of us — the overlooked, the grieving, the barely-hanging-on. Show us the small thing we can actually do, and give us the love to do it without applause. Make our care a kind of leadership. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: Deborah, a Leader in a National Emergency.