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Themes: "Evangelism, Freedom from Sin D.D. The poster had her picture and said on bold print, "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE! She is short and has a deep scar on her forehead. She can't read or write. $40,000 REWARD!"
Who is she? A bank robber, a kidnapper?
Her name is Harriet Tubman, a runaway salve. we're in the year 1850 in Philadelphia. A new law says that runaway slaves must be sent back to their masters. Anyone caught helping runaways will be fined or put into jail. Harriet Tubman is not only a runaway slave, but she is helping other slaves escape on the underground railroad. The underground railroad is not an actual railroad under the ground. It is a name given to a connection of secret roads and paths that the runaway slaves follow north to freedom. Along the way there are people who hide and feed the runaways. Harriet had made her escape on the underground railroad and now she is a guide for others. She wants to help as many slaves as possible escape to freedom.
The escapes always happen at night, many times in the dead of winter. The slave owners send out "slave catchers" with guns and dogs to try and track down the runaways. Sometimes Harriet and other slaves have to wade into freezing cold streams, so that the dogs won't smell their trails. They are often cold and hungry. Harriet finds berries, apples, and corn in the woods for them to eat along the way. Because of the new law in the United States, they travel for weeks on foot all the way to Canada. Some want to give up and go back at times, but Harriet forces them to go on.
One year, on Christmas Eve, Harriet secretly arrived to help her three brothers and two other men escape from a plantation in Maryland. She hadn't seen her family for six years. She came just in time because on the day after Christmas, her brothers were going to be sent to another plantation, farther South. Before leaving, Harriet told her father she would be back for him and her mother. She kept her word. One day she returned to help her parents make their escape.
Thanks to Harriet Tubman, more than 300 slaves made a successful escape to freedom. In 1865 after the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves, slavery was not allowed anywhere in the United States. All men were free at last. Today, Harriet Tubman is a historic American hero.
Harriet Tubman knew how wonderful freedom was and she wouldn't let anything stop her from seeing other slaves set free. The same desire should drive today's christians to spread the gospel message. Paul, the missionary, wasn't going to let the magician hinder the deputy from hearing the Gospel. Paul was so interested in men being saved and being "free" that he risked everything and suffered anything to preach the gospel.
The Lord jesus made the long journey from heaven to save us from our sins and set us free.Nothing could hinder Him from going to the cross. 1Cor.15:3 says, "Christ died for our sins". I hope that you won't let anything or anyone keep you from trusting Him.
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Peter Orasuk
