Tag: Juneteenth

Happy Juneteenth!

But God sets captives free

Luke 4:17-19 Jesus unrolled the scroll of Isaiah the prophet and found the place [Isaiah 61:1-2] where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” … Then Jesus began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

On Juneteenth we celebrate the emancipation of slaves in the United States. The story of the slaves in Texas learning about this, months after it became true, will be told many times today.

Sadly, true freedom has taken—is taking—much longer to experience, because the other part mentioned by Isaiah in this passage, that Jesus applied to himself, is that the blind will see. John shows us in John 9 how many different types of blindness there are, especially of those who think they can see, those who hold power to bless others or to harm them (um, that would be each of us, right?).

My daughter Valerie teaching her kids about Juneteenth

Today, I pray that God will heal my blindness. Especially in areas where I think I can see. And I pray blessing on all those whom God is using to heal the racial wounds within the Body of Christ. Be the Bridge. Here in Pittsburgh, Sisters Celebrating Diversity. You can fill in those working for healing where you live.

My granddaughter Liliana (Rachel’s daughter) at a Juneteenth parade.

As an aside, I will mention that June 19 is an important date for me in other ways too. My beloved older brother Steve was born on June 19. It’s the day our family, the kids sweating under long sleeves and pants to cover up their chickenpox, arrived in São Paulo, Brazil in 1990. On June 19 exactly one year later we moved into the house that would be our home for nineteen more years.

And it’s the day I have before me right now, in which to rejoice in the many ways God has set me free and to pray for those who still find themselves in bondage and oppression.

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Sounds of Blackness – Juneteenth Celebration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH3a_xtjzZg

Our God, Open the Eyes that are Blind, Chris Tomlin

Where is the grace? Tell me what you think Peter is saying.

But God’s grace can include suffering

1 Peter 5:9-12 Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. … So after you have suffered a little while, God will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation … What you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.

We’ve come to the end of 1 Peter at the same time we’re celebrating Juneteenth, an opportunity to remember and honor the hard-won end of Black enslavement in the United States.

But thinking of the horrific suffering engendered by the Civil War on both sides of the conflict, and the betrayals Black people experienced in the Jim Crow years and beyond, I find I want to argue with Peter. How can suffering be part of God’s grace?

Shutterstock: rarrarorro This article describes the beautiful symbols on the Juneteenth flag.

The Civil War was an unconscionable tragedy rooted in greed, cruelty, violence, and a distorted perspective of God’s purposes and plans for his people. The war (as do all wars) engendered shattering losses of life and livelihood, families divided and decimated, resources squandered.

Today, the tragedy of war is replaying in the Ukraine. Where is the grace? What are you saying, Peter?

I read an article this morning titled “Why White Men Should Celebrate Juneteenth.” Without the Civil War, our nation would have broken into two and the double standard which fractured our nation into slave and free despite the bold statement in the Declaration of Independence of the “self-evident truth” that all men were created equal would have continued to poison our progress. As Frederick Douglass said, a healthier nation is built upon “one country, one citizenship, and one liberty for all the people.”

But did this have to come at such an immense cost? Where is the grace, Peter?

According to the UNHCR, there are over 84 million displaced people in the world. Where is the grace, Peter?

According to Safe Horizon, 24.9 million people are victims of “modern slavery” in the United States, including 3.8 million adults and 1 million children exploited by sex trafficking. Come on, Peter. You dare speak of grace?

Every year, more than ten million women and men in the United States experience domestic violence. More than 400,000 children in the US were in foster care last year. Grace??

What is Peter saying?? Please look back over 1 Peter and tell me what you think!