Four Incredible Women Dedicated to God's Inclusive Justice

Wisdom 7:24-28 (NRSV)

For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;

because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.

For she is a breath of the power of God,

and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;

therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.

For she is a reflection of eternal light,

a spotless mirror of the working of God,

and an image of his goodness.

Although she is but one, she can do all things,

and while remaining in herself, she renews all things;

in every generation she passes into holy souls

and makes them friends of God, and prophets;

for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom. 

 

The Episcopal Church commemorates four incredible women today.  We honor Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Ross Tubman.  Each of these women contributed to the advancement of equality for women and African Americans in society and the Church.  In the face of incredible discrimination, all of these women looked oppression and subjugation in the eye of both civil and religious leaders and helped bring liberation to so many people.

More complete information about each woman that we are commemorating today can be found in Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints. This book is the updated version of what was previously known as "Lesser Feasts and Fasts".  Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints was adopted and accepted at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2009.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton lived from 1815 until 1902.  She was raised by a strict Calvinist family in upstate New York.  She dedicated much of her life to bringing justice to the many wrongs done to women by the Church and society.

Elizabeth Stanton along with four other women organized the first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Fall, New York, July 19-20, 1848.  For the next 50 year she dedicated her political and religious life to hold the Church accountable for how they used the Scriptures to subordinate women in marriage and forbidding them to be included in ordained ministry.  She challenged the idea that women were not able to vote, have equality in seeking employment, own property and eligible for a just living wage.

Elizabeth founded her own society of women to interpret the Scriptures in which they focused on those passages that were used to discriminate against women.  This happened shortly after the Revised Standard Version of the Bible was published in 1881.

Elizabeth was joined by Amelia Jenks Bloomer, who during her life insisted that: "certain passages in the Scripture relating to women had been given a strained and unnatural meaning." Of St. Paul Amelia Bloomer wrote; "Could he have looked into the future and foreseen all the sorrow and strife, the cruel exactions and oppression on the one hand and the blind submission and cringing fear on the other, that his words have sanctioned and caused, he would never have uttered them."  On the issue of Women's rights she wrote: "The same Power that brought the slave out of bondage will, in His own good time and way, bring about the emancipation of woman, and make her equal in power and dominion  that she was in the beginning."  

Sojourner Truth known as "Miriam of the Later Exodus" was born to parents who were slaves owned by a wealthy Dutchman in New York.  She was sold from household to household for the first 28 years of her life.

With the help of Quakers she fled slavery and later joined the Mother Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church when African-Americans were being denied the right to worship with the white members of St. George's Church in Philadelphia.  She was a street preacher who became active in the abolitionist and women's rights speakers' network.  She is best remembered for her speech: "Ain't I a Woman."

Harriet Tubman Ross known as "A Woman Named Moses" who was the sixth of eleven children born on a Maryland Chesapeake Bay plantation.   Harriet suffered beatings and a severe injury while growing up.  Her favorite Bible story was about Moses who led the Israelites out of slavery.  Those who lived in slavery during Harriet's years prayed for a Moses of their own.

Harriet Tubman eventually escaped to Canada, but later helped deliver over 750 slaves when she led 500 black troops as part of the Union Army.   She joined the Union Army after the Civil War began which she foresaw.  She cared for many Union and Confederate Soldiers who were wounded.

Harriet Tubman later lived in upstate New York where she helped African-American orphans and many helpless elderly people.  She founded schools for African-American children though she herself was unable to read or write.  She joined the fight for women's rights along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, but supported African-American women in their efforts to found their own organizations to address equality, work and education. (See Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, Pages 474 to 476)

The Gospel for today's Commemoration is Luke 11:5-11.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

Working for equal rights and justice is a matter of knocking, seeking and asking.  In most cases, we will be knocking, seeking and asking from many people who will say no, either because of prejudice or political agendas where the equal rights of minorities are used as a playing card.  No matter how evil our times are, this is no time to discontinue knocking, seeking and asking.  For women, African-Americans, immigrants and people of different nationalities, sexual orientations and/or gender identities/expressions there are many times in which we have asked for bread, we have gotten a stone from those who have often promised to support us.  In this way the Church has not done any better than secular society.  The Episcopal Church may have made many strides, but the Anglican Communion has a long way to go as an all inclusive fellowship.  

Nevertheless, we do not do ourselves any service as LGBTQ people, as well as anyone who is not white, male, heterosexual, upper class or Christian, if we stop knocking, seeking and asking in our prayers to God.  We also do ourselves and others a terrible injustice if we discontinue knocking, seeking and asking from both our churches and our Government.  The reason that these four women were successful, is because no matter how difficult it was, they never gave up.  They continued to tell the truth, no matter what price they had to pay for what truth they told.  They still served the most needy of society, and were willing to be friends with their foes because it was the Gospel thing to do.  

As we commemorate the memory of these four women, may all of us commit ourselves to the work of justice and equality for not just us, but for others who are working for equality.  There still remains much racism within the LGBTQ community, as there is sexism and heterosexism within communities of color and many immigrants who are also looking for equal justice.  We will not achieve full equality for ourselves if we are not concerned and/or working for the full equal rights of all people.  

O God, whose Spirit guides us into all truth and makes us free: Strengthen and sustain us as you did your servants Elizabeth, Amelia, Sojourner, and Harriet. Give us vision and courage to stand against oppression and injustice and all that works against the glorious liberty to which you call all your children; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for the commemoration of Elizabeth, Amelia, Sojourner and Harriet, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, Page 477).

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 11, Book of Common Prayer, Page 231).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, Page 815).