Ask, and it will be given to you; 
search, and you will find; 
knock, and the door will be opened for you. 
--Matthew 7:7-8

People reading this passage from Matthew’s gospel can (and do) read it in at least two different ways: Some lean into the abundance that is being assured: “it will be given to you...you will find...the door will be opened for you.” 

Sounds great, doesn’t it? But that promise doesn’t stand alone; it is interwoven with some very clear, foundational expectations. As usual with the Abrahamic God, this is a two-way proposition. You are at liberty to engage or not, but if you want to enter into this covenant you will have to Ask, you will have to Search, you will have to Knock. And not casually, either.

So the other way to read this passage is quite different, more akin to the saying, “there is no free lunch.” I would advocate the second reading at this moment in time, as we head toward election day: Have you asked? Have you searched? Have you knocked? And for what? Be precise, thoughtful, and persistent, or you may receive what, on second thought, you realize you didn’t actually want.

--The Rev. Barbara Talcott

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