Happy Juneteenth
Today, June 19th, is Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a celebration that marks the date in 1865 when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to announce that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free by executive decree. This event, which liberated the last area of enslavement in this country, occurred two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was originally announced. Today, 28 states recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday (California does not, Texas does). Nevertheless, it has been celebrated by the Black community for over a hundred years with barbeques in the park, street fairs, concerts, and, most importantly, a day off. It is referred to as “the other Independence Day” for the U.S. Observing Juneteenth is one way of acknowledging and recovering from a long, dark chapter in our country’s history.
When the topic of racial reconciliation is brought up, many people frame the conversation in the context of rights. And it is true that civil rights are the foundation of reconciliation because so many citizens of the U.S. have been denied basic rights due to the color of their skin or racial identity (access to healthcare, education, legal representation, voting rights, access to home ownership…just to name a few). Yet, I wonder what would happen if the idea of racial reconciliation was viewed from a faith perspective borne out of the first chapter of Genesis:
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Imagine a world where each of us were responsible for treating every person as if they were created in the image of God. It seems as if it would provide tremendous clarity in the do’s and don’ts of relationships. For example: Do we honor or violate the dignity of each person with our words and actions? Do we create or remove obstacles to people’s achieving a sense of well being? Do we hoard resources so that some children of God go without while others are burdened with excess, or do we value equity? Do we harbor a disdain for certain people and put them out of our hearts or do we pray for everyone, including those we don’t like? The answers to these questions point to whether we are growing in likeness to Christ or not.
Our country owes so much to its Black citizenry, which is made up of people who have suffered and shed blood in the effort to bring all of us into spiritual liberation by insisting that they are children of a living God, despite the forces that would say otherwise. Today is a day of liberation for all—if we choose to recognize it.
Blessings,
Pastor Jen
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