The Silent Tears of a Mother Who Lost Her Children
Pastor Tan Thai
This Mother's Day sermon tells the moving story of Rizpah, a concubine of King Saul whose two sons were executed due to Saul's sin. Through her persistent actions protecting her sons' bodies for five months, Rizpah demonstrated the profound love of a mother, moving King David to ensure her sons received a proper burial. The sermon calls on the church to show compassion for bereaved parents and welcomes both struggling mothers and their wayward children with the loving-kindness that Christ demonstrated.
The sermon explores the tragic story of Rizpah in 2 Samuel 21, a concubine of King Saul who once lived in royal comfort within the palace but became an innocent victim of political power struggles. When Saul died, she lost all her privileges and status. Moreover, her two sons were executed and their bodies hung on the walls of Gibeah as revenge for Saul's past sin against the Gibeonites. Rizpah was an unfortunate victim of circumstances entirely beyond her control, though she bore no responsibility for the tragedy.
Despite her immense suffering, Rizpah did not give up or despair. For five months from the beginning of harvest until the rains came, she lay on rough cloth spread on a rock, enduring scorching heat by day to drive away birds from consuming her sons' decomposing bodies, and bearing the cold at night to protect their remains from wild beasts. Her only strength came from a mother's love for her children—a love as deep and vast as the Pacific Ocean. The sermon emphasizes that this love possessed the power to change circumstances and transform King David's heart. Because of her persistent vigil, the king eventually retrieved Saul's remains and Rizpah's two sons to bury them honorably in a family tomb, a great honor.
The sermon then addresses the question of hope for bereaved parents in today's world, including those who have lost children to waywardness or those who have abandoned faith. The pastor criticizes the harsh judgment of some church members toward such parents, who are sometimes even blamed for failing to raise their children properly. Instead, the pastor calls the church to be a place of compassion, opening its arms to welcome both grieving parents and their prodigal children. The sermon cites the story of Ruth Graham and a mother whose son died from drug overdose, showing that God's grace remains open to the repentant. Jesus' teaching in Luke 13 affirms that suffering does not result from greater sin; rather, we must show mercy and compassion. The sermon concludes with an exhortation on filial piety, reminding listeners that mothers are willing to sacrifice everything, and the day a child loses their mother will be the saddest day of their life.