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| Image by Mish Sukharev |
Weavers and Sewers
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A Greeting
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
(Psalm 26:3)
A Reading
At that time, also, my wife Anna earned money at women’s work.
She used to send what she made to the owners and they would pay
wages to her. One day, the seventh of Dystrus, when she cut off a
piece she had woven and sent it to the owners, they paid her full
wages and also gave her a kid for a meal. When she returned to me,
the kid began to bleat. So I called her and said, ‘Where did you get
this kid? It is surely not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for we
have no right to eat anything stolen.’ But she said to me, ‘It was
given to me as a gift in addition to my wages.’ But I did not believe
her, and told her to return it to the owners. I became flushed with
anger against her over this. Then she replied to me, ‘Where are your
acts of charity? Where are your righteous deeds?
These things are known about you!’
(Tobit 2:11-14)
Music
Meditative Verse
She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
(Psalm 31:13)
A Poem
Seamstress sew me a line of word
Make it colourful,
Make it stand out,
She did it, the words weaved in and out
One over the other,
They flowed vibrantly,
She was a master at sewing word
Her pins were
Pencil
&
Pen
Woven with each, shades came out
Each told a story, a life of its own
- from "Seamstress of Word" by Poetic T
Verses for the Day
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works.
(Psalm 139:13-14)
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| "Tobit and Anna" by Abraham de Pape (1658) |
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In today’s story, Tobit — a good and righteous man — becomes accidentally blinded and struggles to keep his sense of dignity amid all that has changed. In his heightened anxiety, he wrongfully accuses his wife Anna of stealing and is worried that his already diminished status will be made worse by it. Anna is a weaver and seamstress who is supporting the family. Weaving and sewing were complex biblical vocations, and often undertaken by women. Leviticus outlines very strict terms for the seamstress and weavers of the time: tunics must be woven in one piece for instance, and wool and linen could not be woven together. Leviticus 13 uses an entire chapter to describe the delicate condition of providing and caring for cloth worn by those with leprosy. Weavers prepared vestments and canopies for worship too (See Exodus 35). When Tobit insists too much, Anna replies by reminding him of what it means to be charitable, that he himself used to be known for his charitable acts so why should he be surprised by the charity of others? Immediately humbled, what follows in the text is Tobit’s long prayer asking God’s mercy on his anger and arrogance. Sometimes it is hard to be on the receiving end of hands who want to give. Stubbornness and pride may prevent us from seeing how God is working in our lives through other people. In our resistance, the hands of others are stopped from creating and giving and the flow of God’s grace is interrupted. When has this been true for you? When have you refused assistance, believing it better to just manage things yourself? How can you challenge yourself to accept what is being offered you from the hands of others? How is God working in your life,
in ways you have not seen?
LC† Being God's Hands is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto
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