Juneteenth 2023

History:

On June 17th, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – from January 1, 1863 which said:" that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."

The celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.

On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition.

 

Call to Worship

The Lord our God is great.
The Lord is worthy of our praise.
Come; let us remember the great things God has done for us.
Let us not neglect to teach our children the greatness of God.
Let us not forget our past and those who have gone before us.
We remember our ancestors, our history, our Africa; and we name our future.
Let us lift up our voices in song, lift our arms in praise,
and open our hearts in gratitude.
Let us greet God with our hymn of praise.

 

Music:

• "Spirit of the Living God," Spiritual

• "I Remember, I Believe" Raise Your Voice by Sweet Honey in the Rock

• "Wade in the Water"  Spiritual

• Kumbahya, my Lord, Spiritual

 

A Commemoration

Today, we commemorate the end of slavery in America.
This day partially reminds us of the progress made.
This day also partially reminds us of the progress we have not made.
We celebrate the freedom of black lives in our nation.
We grieve that we have not correctly reconciled racism in our nation.

You created each person in Your image.
The two greatest commandments call us to love
You with all our heart, souls, and minds;
Then, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Your love for us motivates us to love each other.
If we do not love each other, then ultimately, we have not experienced Your love.

As much as we commemorate and celebrate Juneteenth, we grieve this day.
We mourn that our black brothers and sisters
have not been loved as our neighbors.
We mourn that our black brothers and sisters have been treated less than created in Your image throughout history.
So, Lord, we confess our sins and repent.
The healing and reconciliation we desire comes from the gospel.

On Juneteenth this year, we ask You to guide our nation.
May the good news of the gospel motivate us to love each other.
May the ideals of our words match the practices of our lives.
May a fresh empowerment of Your Spirit unite us together.
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your will and leading.

- Peter Englert