Remembering Juneteenth

As you may be aware, Juneteenth, a shortened version of “June Nineteenth,” is a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in America.  In 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than three million slaves living in the Confederate states to be free.  More than two years would pass, however, before the news reached African Americans living in Texas.  It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state’s residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished.  The former slaves immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.

The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas. The original observances included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom.  Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition.  Celebrations have continued across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings, picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing.  When we know what it’s like to be enslaved, there’s no such thing as taking freedom for granted.  Freedom is powerful.  It allows us to speak, act, and live without oppressive restraint. It liberates us from being held captive to a thought, person, place, or burden.  I believe there’s a lot of work for us to do on this earth as God expects us to accept each other and treat people with respect and love even as we continue to experience violence, hatred, bitterness, so on and so forth.  And I also truly believe that Christ has accepted us just as we are, redeemed us and forgiven us from the slavery of sin.  If we have been redeemed and forgiven by God, as followers of Christ, we ought to forgive, love and accept each other no matter who we are or how we look or what our preferences are.  Christ empowers us to let go of any bondage that attempts to enslave us.  May our prayer be that we will no longer be confined or burdened by the evil things that attempt to hold us captive.  Instead, may we stand united in our freedom with our arms and our hearts wide open and embrace one another the way Christ continues to embrace us!