Your Small Works Are Not Forgotten
Sermon May 11, 2025 Acts 9:36-43
Your Small Works Are Not Forgotten!
Rev. Fred Okello
In a small town, there lived a mother named Mama Ruth. She raised five children on her own after her husband passed away early. She wasn’t famous, never traveled far, and didn’t have much money. But her kitchen was always warm, her prayers always powerful, and her home always open.
At her funeral, each of her children placed a simple cloth on the altar: her apron. That apron had fed the hungry, wiped away tears, carried the smell of love and sacrifice. The pastor stood up and said, “This apron is the ministry of motherhood. Who will wear it now?”
Today, we gather to celebrate Mother’s Day—a day not just to give flowers or cards, but to honor the ministry that mothers carry daily. Like Tabitha in Acts 9, many mothers today are the silent backbone of the church, the home, and the community. They clothe, comfort, correct, and carry burdens with grace.
Motherhood is more than biology—it’s a calling to care, to nurture, to shape lives, and to reflect God’s love in practical ways. Some mothers raise children at home; others mother the lonely, the grieving, or the spiritually lost. Some serve with their hands like Dorcas; others serve with their prayers like Hannah. But in every form, motherhood is sacred work.
Today’s passage offers us a biblical portrait of this kind of life—a woman whose care, compassion, and faithful service left a permanent mark on her community. On this Mother’s Day, we are reminded that God sees every unseen act of love—and sometimes, He raises up what the world has buried.
Tabitha, the Mother of the Forgotten “was always doing good and helping the poor.” (v. 36). Tabitha, also called Dorcas, was a woman of faith and action. She wasn’t just generous; she was known for her good works. When she died, the widows—perhaps women she had cared for as a mother would—gathered and wept, holding the clothes she made with her own hands.
Peter came, knelt in prayer, and through the power of God, said: “Tabitha, get up.” And she did.
Tabitha wasn’t raising biological children (at least none are mentioned), but she lived like a spiritual mother:
She clothed the poor.
She supported widows.
She left behind a legacy of love.
On Mother’s Day, we honor women like Tabitha—biological, adoptive, and spiritual mothers—who have built lives not just on words, but on faith in action. Personally, I remember and honor my mother. She wasn’t raised from the dead like Tabitha, but her ministry in my life is one thing I am deeply thankful for. She prayed for me, corrected me, guided me, and served with love that never asked for recognition. Her influence continues to live on in me and many others she touched. You also have similar experiences!
Today’s world still needs:
Mothers who pray.
Mothers who serve.
Mothers who raise children, encourage communities, and disciple generations.
Many mothers serve in ways unseen by the world—through long nights, selfless meals, tireless prayers. But heaven sees. Your apron is holy.
Tabitha’s ministry brought people to Christ. A praying mother, a mentoring mother, a compassionate mother can bring whole households to the Lord.
Maybe a mother feels like her purpose is buried, her energy gone, her children distant. But God is still in the resurrection business. “Tabitha, arise!” is still God’s word today.
Brothers and sisters, your ministry matters. You don’t need a title to make a difference. You don’t need a platform to lead. Your apron, your prayers, your love—they’re your sermons, your legacy, your altar.
So today, God is asking youth, men and women of this congregation “Who will wear Tabitha’s apron?”
Let the answer be: “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
Happy Mother’s Day!