Lenten Devotion 1: Waiting with Rizpah
Our liturgical journey, which began on the first Sunday of Advent, continues. We move forward in an ever-opening spiral, drawing closer to the heart of God’s love and justice.
The season of Lent calls us to recognize the sorrows of the world—the sorrows within us and those carried by the women around us. It is a time to name pain, to lament, and to stand in solidarity with each other.
Years ago, women theologians from Latin America gathered to reflect on the story of Rizpah. Her story, found in 2 Samuel 21:1-14, is one of grief, endurance, and protest. Among the many violences she experienced, the brutal execution of her two sons compelled her to take extreme measures.
“Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds of the air to come on the bodies by day, or the wild animals by night.” (2 Samuel 21:10)
Rizpah’s vigil was one of love and resistance. She refused to let the bodies of her sons be forgotten, even as the world moved on.
Women across generations have lived this reality. Women have suffered the loss of their children, grandchildren, nieces, friends—victims of military regimes, drug gangs, poverty, lack of education, inadequate healthcare. Women have experienced in their own bodies the weight of gender injustice: harassment, gender-based violence, exploitation of their knowledge, physical strength and of their bodies.
Today, we hear the cries of women who take small or extraordinary measures to protect themselves and the ones they love. Their pain and their resistance echo across continents.
This Lent, let us sit with Rizpah. Spread out our sackcloth or blanket. Watch. Pray. Learn with and about each other. Acknowledge the wounds in our bodies and in our communities. Waiting, though difficult, is also a sacred act. Like Rizpah, we cannot turn away. We sit in vigil, sometimes alone, sometimes with others. We gather strength for the justice struggle ahead.
A gender just world requires our participation. No action is too small. No prayer goes unheard. We are not alone. As God’s daughters, saved and justified by grace through faith, and moved by the Holy Spirit, we pray:
God of mercy,
You have heard the cries of your people from generation to generation.
Sit with us in our pain and uncertainty.
Hear our cries.
Heal the pain that weighs on our bodies and our souls.
Give us new imagination, open hearts, and the strength to move forward.
Protect and keep us safe.
Make us bold in love, tireless in justice, and unwavering in hope.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
To reflect:
- What does the story of Rizpah speak to you today? In what ways do you take care of yourself while caring for others?
- How do you see the story of Rizpah reflected in the lives of women today? In what ways do women in your community or around the world stand in vigil, resist injustice, or care for those who have suffered violence?
- What does it mean for waiting to be a sacred act? How do you experience prayer, lament, and silent witness as forms of resistance and hope in the face of suffering?
- What is one small but meaningful action you can take this Lent to stand in solidarity with those who experience violence and injustice, whether through prayer, advocacy, art?
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Marcia Blasi
Program Executive for Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment