The Underground Railroad

            One of the most captivating parts of American history to me is something that took place during the dark days of slavery. The Underground Railroad became the road to freedom for hundreds of slaves fleeing their southern slave-owners. The network of clandestine paths and hide-a-way stations was manned by compassionate, brave souls along the way, who risked their own lives and the safety of their families, to see their fellow human beings gain freedom.

            The secret routes were challenging and difficult to follow. Slaves were guided by markers, for example, special quilts left hanging on clotheslines which signaled which direction to go. Migrating north under the cover of night, navigating deep rivers and treacherous terrain endangered the lives of those seeking freedom. What a testament to the bravery and heroism of those who traversed the “railroad” and those “conductors” and “station masters” who assisted along the way.

            Perhaps the greatest tribute of all belongs to Harriet Tubman, a former slave. Known as the “Moses of her people” she was instrumental in the operation of the Underground Railroad, returning hundreds of times, to help lead others to the “promised land.”

            The Bible is full of those like Moses who led captives to freedom. Some were held in literal slavery like the Israelites in Egypt. Others were shackled in the belly of a sin-laden sinking spiritual ship like the pagan Corinthians, but all required the strong will and fearless grit of someone screaming, “Let God’s people go!” So, why are those of us who have been set free from the chains of spiritual bondage not willing to return, like Harriet Tubman, to help others still trapped? Have we developed some sort of spiritual amnesia and forgotten that someone who found freedom before us left markers we could follow? Those signposts allowed us to find sanctuary at the foot of the cross. How is it that we have become so self-absorbed, so off-center, that we’ve forgotten the heart of the gospel?

Jesus’ gospel drove Him to fraternize with sinners, much to the chagrin of the corrupt religious system which had written off all but the self-righteous. The religious hypocrites were willing to leave the enslaved behind to languish in the chains of hopeless servitude. Jesus, the Great Emancipator, sacrificed His own life to leave a marker; the cross, which points the way to freedom. His insistence that every person was valuable and worthy of freedom got Him killed. When this is the message we preach, it will likely make us a target too. But whatever the danger, isn’t our own liberty precious enough to spur us into action; to do whatever it takes, to be light in the darkness, a signpost placed at a strategic location, pointing others to the dignity and worth that deliverance brings? Isn’t it time to take our places on a spiritual underground railroad, to risk all that we are and all that we have, to make sure that others have an opportunity to know the Truth and allow the Truth to set them free?