Knocking on God's Door
Monday’s Readings - Judges 9:50-55; Psalm 102:18-28; James 2:14-17 ; Luke 11:5-10
Today on the Episcopal Church calendar we commemorate the life of Harriet Ross Tubman. Ms. Tubman lived from 1820 - 1913. Her work earned her the name “the Moses of her People.” Ms. Tubman was born into slavery, and at the age of 24 escaped, and fled to Canada. She returned however and was instrumental in assisting over 1000 slaves to escape to freedom. Ms. Tubman’s inspiration for her life’s work was God’s deliverance of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. She came to believe that it was God’s intention that the slaves held in America be freed, just as the Israelites were freed. Her life became an act of devotion to God and what she believed was God’s will. As a black woman, Tubman had every disadvantage anyone can imagine. The one thing no one could take away from her though was her faith and her determination. Her faith was strong, and she took to heart Jesus’ admonition, that his yoke was easy, his burden light. She took up the welfare of others as her cross to carry, making the world a better place for others like herself. She believed and had faith in what we read from Luke today: “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
When we ask, we never know how God will respond. Sometimes it may feel as though God isn’t listening. I’ve done a lot of asking in my lifetime and at some point if only in retrospect I’ve realized God was present even if the answers I was seeking weren’t. Harriet knew she wasn’t strong enough to carry the lives of all of those she brought out of slavery but she did know God was.
In the Epistle from James for today, we hear him ask, “What good is it, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” The Apostle Paul’s teachings seem to contradict this way of thinking. He admonished the early Christians not to count on only good works. That it was their faith that mattered in the end. So, it’s not faith alone or works alone that can bring about salvation. But rather works that are empowered by our faith that bring us close to the heart of Christ.
Harriett Tubman embodied this teaching, believing that her faith had to be seen in the world. She knew that she could not enjoy her freedom without trying to free as many of those who remained enslaved, so she risked her life, her freedom to help others. Very few of us risk our lives in service of others but for those who do, it is a step in faith. As we begin this season of Lent perhaps as a Lenten discipline we might turn our gaze towards something that we can do for others? Volunteer or call up a neighbor to check on them, take someone a meal, write a letter to someone you haven’t seen in a while. There are lots of outreach opportunities available at Saint Stephen’s, check out our web site and take your pick. Can you imagine if we had just an ounce of the faith, or the strength, or the determination that Ms. Tubman had what we might accomplish?
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection - When was the last time you “knocked on God’s door?” Do you have a passion for something that could improves the lives of others? If you don’t why not? How might you improve the life of just one person?