Juneteenth 2025

Exodus 3:7-9

Then the Lord said, “I’ve clearly seen my people oppressed in Egypt. I’ve heard their cry of injustice because of their slave masters. I know about their pain.  I’ve come down to rescue them from the Egyptians in order to take them out of that land and bring them to a good and broad land, a land that’s full of milk and honey, a place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites all live.  Now the Israelites’ cries of injustice have reached me. I’ve seen just how much the Egyptians have oppressed them.

Juneteenth – I have to confess that I only began to learn about the significance of this day during the pandemic a few years ago.  I’m embarrassed about that. However, there are still millions of Americans who don’t really know what it’s about even though they may have gotten the day off from work today as it is a federal holiday.  I have heard many people wonder why we need this day of remembrance.  We need it precisely because we wonder why we need it. 

Juneteenth is American History; as Americans, we should know about our history and the unfortunate truth is that too many of us don’t.  The reason that so many of us don’t is that we were never taught that this happened. The fact that painful stories like this are omitted (or now redacted) from our educational curriculum is an example of institutional racism.  We were taught that Abraham Lincoln declared the end of slavery on January 1, 1863.  However, in many Confederately-controlled places within the US, slaves would not be freed until much later.  It was not until nearly 2 ½ years later on June 19, 1865 that a 2000 US troops arrived in Galveston Bay, TX that 250,000 slaves in the state of Texas were free.

Juneteenth has been called our “second independence day” and for good reason.  The promises of freedom made by the founding documents of our country were not experienced by all and sadly are still not experienced by all.  While we can use this day to celebrate the progress that has been made,  but we also face the sad truth that we have much work still to do.  This is urgent work, for the scourge of racism continues to cause great suffering.  The ideals of America are still a work in progress. And part of the process is all knowing our story.  Juneteenth is not a black people story – it is an American story.  

So let’s all learn more about this. Let’s celebrate this day not just as a day of freedom for black slaves, but a step toward freedom for all people.  Further, let us look for ways to take the next step towards that ideal.  God still calls His people to justice and freedom. 

Question:  Other than a federal holiday, what does Juneteenth mean to you?

Prayer:  Show us the injustice in the places where we live, play, and work.  Give us wisdom to know our role in making them right.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for people in countries in the midst of war right now.

Song:  Lift Every Voice and Sing – Boston Children’s Choir