or The Greatest Heroine of All – A Mother’s Day Sermon

Sean C. Capparuccia

10 May 2026 – Trinity Global Methodist Church, Magnolia, NC

I Sam 1:9-20; Psalm 131; II Tim 1:3-7; Luke 18:1-8
           

Our first mother, Eve, when she bore her first child, Cain, said a remarkable thing. She said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”  I have gotten a man; or I have begotten a man with the help of the Lord. What did she mean by that exactly? Well, we know that as a result of the Fall, the curse that fell upon Eve was travail in childbirth. Or we can just call it what it is – pain! So perhaps the “help” was the Lord getting her through that labor. And we cannot know exactly when Eve made this statement; it could have been a few years later as young Cain was getting through his early childhood or adolescence where Eve may have meant, “By the Lord’s help, I have not killed my son… he’s still here.”  For you see, and as we all know, pain in childbirth is not the only curse that has befallen mothers. It is also the pain involved in the raising of our children. The infection of sin has caused travail at all moments in life. But “with the Lord’s help” we still beget our children; we continue to raise them and love them and do our best to bring them before the Lord as our offering of thanksgiving.

            And while this task is naturally given to both mother and father, there can be no arguing that the relationship between mother and child is quite different than that of father and child. Said one mother: “My kids will walk right past their father who is sitting on the couch and come bang on the shower door for me to open a fruit snack.”  Each has their role, their place, their instrumentality. Not that these things are off-limits one from another, but the natural inclinations are wired into us, this is part of the imago Dei. With the prevalence of single parenting, single moms, by necessity, must fill in the fatherless gaps; and so, too, with single dads.

             There is something about a mom that is irreplaceable. Dads are wired to protect, but moms nurture. That being said, I think there is a trend – I can blame so much on our “culture” – a trend in our culture that there is less protecting happening at a time when kids need more protecting than ever. And there is perhaps less nurturing happening than there ought to be. There is, I fear, a disconnect between the natural ideal and the unnatural reality that is evident today. Nevertheless, I am not going to go off this morning on a diatribe against culture.

Hannah

The Bible is full of stories about mothers. In our Old Testament lesson we read about Hannah. Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, who also had another wife named Peninnah. Now Peninnah had borne Elkanah children while Hannah had not, though not for want of trying. Hannah was barren and, as you know, barrenness in the Old Testament was a sign of God’s disfavor. Not that it truly was, that’s just how it was interpreted.  Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”  The prophet Isaiah says, “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion” (8:18). Children are from the Lord. Sexual union is the means by which they come, but whether they come or not is the Lord’s business, so barrenness is not a sign of God’s disfavor. Anyway, Peninnah had borne her husband children and Hannah was feeling very sorry for herself that she had not been able to get pregnant. We also see in verse 5 of I Samuel 1 that Elkanah loved Hannah. Peninnah bore all his children thus far, but his love was for Hannah. So Hannah, while at the house of the Lord in Shiloh (this was before David and Solomon and the Temple being built in Jerusalem) fervently prayed to God for a child.   Verse 10 says, “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly”; and observe how the priest Eli saw it:  “As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli took her to be a drunken woman” (I Sam. 1:12-13). This was the deeply fervent prayer of a woman who was at the crisis point. This wasn’t a “wouldn’t it be nice…” prayer; this was a “Lord, if You do not hear me, I may very well die in myself” type of prayer.  And God heard her. And with His help, she bore a child and named him Samuel, one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament.

Monica

          As I was researching some things for this sermon, a few other mothers came up that I thought would be worth mentioning. One of church history’s greatest theologians, St. Augustine of Hippo, owed much to his mother, Monica. Monica was a devout Christian whose husband was not. And their son, Augustine, followed in his father’s footsteps. (Isn’t that how it usually goes, though? Because of our sin nature, we always tend to follow the path of least resistance. Moral and upstanding mom on one hand, morally ambivalent father on the other – who would you choose to emulate?) In his famous work, Confessions, he talked about how immoral he was as a teenager. At 17 he had a married mistress, or probably better said, this married woman had a 17-year old plaything. And then, completely forsaking the teaching of his mother, he began delving into philosophical cults. But Monica prayed. And prayed.  And prayed. She couldn’t stop her son. All she could do was point out to him the sin. She couldn’t change his heart, but she fervently prayed to the One who could. She refused to give her son over to the devasting sin of unbelief. Eventually, in His own perfect time, God answered her prayer and gave Augustine a will to tirelessly serve Him.

 Margarethe Luther

          Margarethe Luther, the mother of the great Reformer, Martin Luther, raised him with a deep awareness of God and a keen sense of right and wrong, sin and godliness. Her sincere piety and unwavering discipline had a profound effect on Luther that the Lord used to make him into the “hammer of God” and kick start the much-needed Reformation.

 Susanna Wesley

           John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, was the son of Susanna Wesley, who, besides John, had 18 other children! (No barrenness there, for sure!)  She was known for having a strong and disciplined prayer life and “set aside regular hours for prayer and spiritual instruction.” It is said that when she pulled her apron over her head, it was prayer time and the children learned quickly that this was her do not disturb sign. This zealous spiritual discipline and fervent prayer helped shaped John and his brother Charles into evangelical leaders who transformed England and early America.

 Eliza Spurgeon

Eliza Spurgeon, the mother of the “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon, ceaselessly prayed for the salvation of her children and spoke to them often about the eternal consequences of being outside of Christ. Spurgeon said that his mother pleaded for each child by name and he credits the prayers of his mother for leading him to Christ and salvation and into his famous ministry.

 Ruth Bell Graham

Somone that we may be be a little more familiar with is Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham. Raised in an obviously devout Christian home, Franklin rebelled against everything he was taught. But his mother, Ruth Bell Graham, did not give up in despair, but continued to pray that God would get hold of Franklin and turn him around. Eventually, like Augustine, God did grab hold of him and call him to continue the legacy that God began in his father.  

            A well-known verse from Proverbs says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (22:6).  I know a lot of parents who hang on to this verse like it’s the only shred of hope they have left. But it literally means to train up a child in the way he should go; to imprint your teaching upon them so thoroughly that it becomes second nature; they cannot depart from it because it is what they know. I guess most people think, “I took them to church most of the time, and now I just hope they’ll come back to church.” Well, what were they taught about church?  Just two verses later Solomon writes, “He who sows iniquity will reap vanity…” or, as Paul put it in Galatians, “Whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap.”  I fear this must surely step on all of our toes as we see our children struggle with their faith, because we have to ask ourselves, “What did we truly teach them in this area?”  But where we fail, God is merciful and gracious unto us. Now fervently pray that God will take whatever training has been done and multiply it and bring it to our child’s mind and heart.

            The mother who fervently prays is often someone in the background. They generally don’t get up in the middle of church and start wailing and moaning the prayers of their hearts for all to see. No, they are in the quiet corner, the “prayer closet,” pummeling Satan with their prayers. These women already mentioned had this common theme: their effectual prayers for their children were patient, persistent, and full of hope even though immediate results were not seen. Their faithfulness enabled them to see God’s faithfulness in the end.

            But believing in God’s faithfulness is not cause to quit praying. Just because you believe He is faithful doesn’t mean you don’t have to be faithful. And a mother never stops worrying for her children. It invariably comes with the title. Listen to these words from Cheri Fuller from her book, When Mothers Pray:

         Has your heart ever ached so strongly for your child that yous eriously wondered if it might rip apart? As moms, no matter what stage of mothering we’re in – experiencing the delight and fear of being responsible for that first, fresh-from-heaven newborn, or wandering around in our empty nests – we are concerned for our children. We hold them when they’re sick, ache when they’re lonely and lack friends, worry when they struggle in school and even more so when they rebel and make bad choices. We want to protect and nurture and guide these children we literally carried for nine months.[1]

            A few years ago there was this phrase that became trendy, Mama Bears; women who fiercely defended their kids rights, usually in the public school systems.  When some of our school systems were making some whacky rules against Christianity, these mama bears stood up at the town councils and school meetings and made an uproar. Do you remember that? And I recall that these women, and some of the dads, too, were demonized. They were labeled “toxic” and right-wing such and such.  But I think these women, these parents, were just doing what comes naturally – protecting their children.  Hear these words from a mom to her kid: “Dear child, I’ve worried for you since before you were born; I’ll continue to worry until my last breath. Deal with it!” God wired us to protect our kids at all costs but somehow people forget that this should apply to their faith as well. Listen to a few more heroines from the Bible.

Jochebed

            In Exodus 2 we see Jochebed, the mother of Moses, risking her own life to save her son from the decree of death to all male Hebrew children by the Egyptian pharaoh. (If Jochebed had been around in 2020, she would definitely have not worn a mask.) Then when she could hide her little son no longer, she made a basket and sent him downriver right into Pharaoh’s house. Now, we know that it was God’s plan but nothing in Scripture says that  God talked to Jochebed and said, “Hey, I’ve got a plan; you need to do this…” But through her defiance and cunning, Israle was saved.

Rebekah

In Genesis 25 we read about Rebekah who, in a rather deceitful way, secured the covenantal blessing for her son Jacob rather her other son, Esau. Rebekah believed God when He told her that his plan was for Jacob, even though he was the younger brother, to have the birthright over his older brother. With fierce determination she orchestrated the plan, deceived her husband, and helped Jacob flee from his brother’s rage.

Bathsheba

Poor Bathsheba is usually only thought of as the beautiful young adultress with whom David had an affair. But toward the end of King David’s life, we see Bathsheba boldly intervening in the decision to choose David’s successor as king. With much risk to herself, she put her son, Solomon, forward as the one who should be king, which was, of course, in keeping with God’s will.

The Shunammite Woman

In II Kings 4 there is the story of the Shunammite woman who refused to accept the finality of her grown son’s death. After his untimely death, she urgently sought out the prophet Elisha and would not leave him alone until he came to help. Her determination and refusal to give up led Elisha to restore her son to life.

            In the New Testament we have Mary the mother of Jesus, of course, whose courage in bearing Jesus was tremendous. 

The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 was a “mama bear” and a half. Even after Jesus rejected her and called her some pretty bad names, she persisted until He delivered her daughter from demon possession. Mamas don’t take “No,” lightly.  On the plane ride home yesterday morning Lara and watched a movie called “Once Upon My Mother.”  If you get the chance, I encourage you to watch that. It is about a mother who would not accept a bad diagnosis from the doctor about her son. Good movie.

Eunice and Lois

            In our epistle reading we heard about Timothy’s mom and grandma, Eunice and Lois. Kind of like Augustine who would come later, Timothy’s father was a pagan while his mom and grandma were devout Jews. After hearing the Gospel, they became faithful followers of Christ. But you may recall that Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he would have some street cred with the Jews to which he was ministering. [Think about that then, his mom was a devout Jew but his dad was a pagan – and little Timothy didn’t get circumcised. I bet there were some heated discussions over that when he was a baby. But this is why we shouldn’t be unequally yoked – marry within your faith.] Anyway, Paul praises Eunice and Lois for their strong faith and also for their diligent teaching of it to Timothy. And you know the difference between a mother and a grandmother, right? Like a mom had to tell her kid, “If you think I’m being mean, I’m just doing my job. If I was nice, you would call me grandma.”  But Lois and Eunice didn’t just bring little Timothy to church; they taught him, they catechized him, they read and studied the Bible with him. And if you are willing to hear the truth, these things are oftentimes more difficult to do than just about anything else.

Consider this: if a doctor told you that you needed to change your kid’s wound dressing every day for a month in order for this nasty wound to heal and prevent further infection, a process that takes, say, 15 minutes every day, would you faithfully do it? Now, if your pastor asked you to faithfully read the Bible to your kid or grandkid every day for 15 minutes and ask them a few simple questions about it, would you do it? Which would be more difficult, do you think?

Persistence

In the Gospel lesson we heard about a woman who persistently asks a judge to hear her case. She’s a widow, basically a nobody in that culture; she has no power, no status, no influence with which to manipulate this godless judge. But what she does have is faith and persistence. In this parable, Jesus was conveying the message that if an unjust and ungodly judge can be moved by the persistence of a nobody, then certainly the persistent prayers of God’s faithful will be heard by Him, who is perfectly just and God himself.

Prayer shows God that you care, that you believe, and that you believe He will do something. Prayerlessness shows God that you do not believe. And I get it; you’ve prayed for this or that and it hasn’t happened. You’ve even prayed for good and righteous and good things and yet it still seems as though God didn’t hear a sound. We cannot ignore these facts and to ignore them would be disingenuous. It does happen. And I cannot tell you why God seems to ignore some prayers that are sincere and honest and well-intentioned. It bothers me, too.

Yet Jesus says in verse 7-8 that God will “bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night…I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily.”  Then Jesus asks, and this is a question for all of us, “When the Son of Man comes, when Jesus comes back, will He find faith on the earth?” In other words, will Jesus find this kind of faith on the earth when He comes back? The kind of faith that persistently pleads and begs God for mercy and for justice for His people.  Oh He will find a lot of people who pray once and give up when it doesn’t happen; He will find a lot of people who fall asleep after praying for five minutes; He will come back and find a lot of people praying to God telling Him that praying to God doesn’t do anything. But will He find this kind of prayer and this kind of faith?

            Beloved, perhaps we can find some reassurance in this, that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Is. 55:8). God is just and God is love and God is perfect and I don’t know why He doesn’t answer all our prayers like we want Him to, but we do know that He tells us to pray. He tells us to bring it before Him. He tells us to be persistent. He wants us to be faithful. Persistence reveals what is truly in our hearts, doesn’t it?  If I’m bringing it to God today, and tomorrow, and still going after a week, a month, a year, it must be pretty important.     

            He wants us to come before Him in humility, not with haughtiness. We read in the Psalm (131), “I do not concern myself with great matters, or things too wonderful for me.” He’s saying, “Lord, I am where I am and I am bringing matters to you that are dear to my heart. Things going on right now in my home, in my community, in my church.” And “like a weaned child with its mother is my soul quieted within me.” A weaned child does not need its mother for food, it is now content to just be with its mother. Now when you lay a not-weaned child on your breast it only wants one thing. But a weaned child is content.

            Will the Lord find this kind of faith when He returns? A faith that can rest in its Savior but still persistently and fervently cry out to Him for what is righteous and good and godly?  In essence, a faith that is faithful.

A faith that causes a man to love the woman he married no matter what.

A faith that causes a mother to pray for her child no matter how long it takes.

A faith that causes someone to wait on the Lord and trust Him, come what may.

            It’s an interesting dichotomy that husbands are commanded to love their wives and lead them in the faith while at the same time women are wired more for nurture and zealous protection. They all seem like traits that both should do but it’s not really how God created us.[2] I think this is further proof that man is made for woman, and woman for man, to help each other; to compliment one another.

Suffice it to say, we must thank God for the faithful women and mothers who have done their best to keep our families together and keep us all in the church. I hate to admit it, but I think if it was left completely up to the husbands and fathers, church attendance would drop to dangerously low levels. So, may God continue to hear your prayers. And may He truly find this kind of faith in you when He comes again.   ~Amen

---

[1] Cheri Fuller, When Mothers Pray  (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1997) 16.

[2] On the whole; generally speaking, etc.