Tomorrow is Juneteenth
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash
Church family,
Tomorrow is a special day. Tomorrow is Juneteenth.
It is the day (June 19th, 1865) when General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, TX with news: enslaved peoples were now free.
Keep in mind: This was roughly two and a half years after President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Black men and women throughout the country, and in Texas, finally heard the news: they had been declared free.
Juneteenth is a day that remembers and celebrates this proclamation of freedom for African Americans. Sometimes referred to as Jubilee Day, June 19th is a day to hold forth in hope in light of all of the unrealized promises that still linger in our society.
Jubilee is a powerful word rooted in the story of scripture. Jubilee was a day of releasing others from their debts, of resting, of making right what sin had made wrong, of restoring the broken places in the community.
As we enter into Juneteenth 2020 we are awfully aware that we enter into a day of mixed emotions: celebrating what God has done and hoping that He might do more.
We are aware that for those who celebrated on the first Juneteenth, way back in 1865, that as Martin Luther King Jr. would say, “freedom would be fed in teaspoons over centuries.”
We know that our country has too often failed to live up to its highest hopes and aspirations and that the church has too often been complicit in mirroring the highest highs and the lowest lows of the country in which we live.
We still live in a place that is a far cry from a land of righteousness, justice, and mercy.
In Luke 4, Jesus stands in the synagogue at Nazareth unrolls the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and he says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
That last part. That’s the Jubilee year. The “year of the Lord’s favor.”
And what does Jesus do next?
He rolls up the scroll and says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
The church is a people formed and forged by the Jubilee that Christ has ushered in and tomorrow is a reminder that our work as that people is not merely to celebrate what God has done, but to join in to what God is doing in the world.
So, how can you do that?
You can rest in prayer.
You can step away tomorrow, even for a moment, to enter the presence of God and remind your heart: Christ Jesus will make all things new.
You could slowly read Luke 4:18-19.
You can look back and learn from resilient, Jubilee inspired leaders.
Why not pause to listen to Mahalia Jackson sing, “Precious Lord Take My Hand?”
Why not take a moment to read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail?”
Why not read a short article about Francis Grimke? A father in the faith who had a faithful 50 year ministry at 15th Street Presbyterian Church.
Why not watch the recent (and remarkable) film “Harriet” that details the faith full courage of Harriet Tubman as she helped to lead and rescue many from slavery?
You can practice the spirit of Jubilee today.
I have gotten many requests in recent days for people looking to help financially support black leaders on the front lines of bringing gospel rooted justice and mercies to cities in this country.
You could practice the Jubilee ethic today by making a donation to one of these incredible churches or organizations:
Pillar Church || Pastor Kaynenn Parker: Pillar is one of our church plant partners rooted in East Fort Worth. You can give to their church here.
Reconciliation Church || Pastor Russ McCutcheon: Pastor Russ has preached at Mosaic Church and he is planting Reconciliation Church in Knightdale, North Carolina. You can give to their church here.
We celebrate tomorrow, but we hope for more to celebrate in the days ahead.
Tomorrow we thank God for what He has done, but we beg him to do more.
We honor the perseverance and resilience of black men and women in our country and we ask that God will make us into a people who celebrate that which is good, which is righteous, which is lovely.
I love you all.
Pastor Kyle