“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed
me to proclaim good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the
blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Jesus,
in Luke 4:18-19)
“He has told you, human one, what is good and what the
Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly
with your God.” (Micah 6:8, CEB)
Today is our newest national holiday, Juneteenth. Only official since 2021, the celebration
goes back over a hundred and fifty years to the end of the Civil War in
America. I have to confess that I did
not know anything about it or the history that gave its origins until three years
ago – not proud of that, but truth nonetheless.
Today, on the day when I usually post something from someone
else, I share a link to a video that explains the history behind Juneteeth and
its eventual designation of a national holiday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq8TNKZVEWs
Friends, the end of slavery in America is indeed worthy of a
national holiday. But Juneteenth should
also be a reminder that we still have much work to do to deal with the injustice
still present in “the land of the free.”
Common morality calls us to this justice work, but our Christian faith
demands it. Spend a few minutes today pondering the connection between the spiritual
imperatives above with the history of injustice in our own country today. More importantly, ask God to show you what
you can do to be part of this holy work.
Prayer: Lord we
confess that that there is still brokenness and pain in our culture that needs
healing and reconciliation. Help us see
how we can cooperate with You to bring justice wherever we are. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
toward the emergence of at least one thing you can do towards dismantling
injustice that you are aware of right now.
Song: Where is the
Love – Black Eyed Peas
No comments:
Post a Comment