June 2025 Connection
June 19, 1865
"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom…
…And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons…
…And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed….”
These words, written and shared broadly by the 16th president of The United States, Abraham Lincoln, and endorsed by his secretary of State, William H. Seward, became known to history as the Emancipation Proclamation. Effective January 1, 1863, this proclamation granted freedom to slaves held in The United States up to that point. In the midst of a remarkably divided time in our nation’s history, and in the midst of our shameful legacy of deeply ingrained racism, these words pointed to the end of legalized slavery, as well as to the illegitimate nature of the Confederacy’s efforts to maintain its participation in the slave trade.
And while many of us, today, may not have a familiarity with the words of the Emancipation Proclamation, we are hopefully familiar with its purpose and effect. While not perfect, it was a meaningful step of justice toward the liberation of the oppressed.
During this month of June, we celebrate a special holiday that carries the name “Juneteenth.” This holiday enjoins us as a national community in recognition and celebration of the last slaves to hear of their freedom. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, that slaves in the state learned they had been proclaimed “free” more than two years prior.
I share this with you, not only to mark the importance of this celebration in the life of the church, but also to point out that the date that is remembered and celebrated is not January 1, 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, but rather the date when the last of those to be held in slavery discovered their freedom.
Certainly, we could draw a variety of conclusions and lessons from this reality. But, perhaps one thing that we can discover in the midst of our celebration is that it is not merely enough to enact in our laws – in our policies – in our church – that we seek to repent from our national sin of racism. Rather, it becomes vital that we seek to make it a reality in the lives of all.
Sadly, still today, we continue what has become a national debate as to the appropriateness of educating future generations about our country’s complicity when it comes to slavery, Jim Crow culture, and even the institutionalized racism we harbor today. To ignore these realities is to assume that the weight of these past and present injustices have faded away. Instead, we must remember that like Juneteenth, we celebrate, not the day we choose to do better, but the day we let freedom, justice, and mercy become real and known to all.
Peace,
Pastor Brian
…And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons…
…And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed….”
These words, written and shared broadly by the 16th president of The United States, Abraham Lincoln, and endorsed by his secretary of State, William H. Seward, became known to history as the Emancipation Proclamation. Effective January 1, 1863, this proclamation granted freedom to slaves held in The United States up to that point. In the midst of a remarkably divided time in our nation’s history, and in the midst of our shameful legacy of deeply ingrained racism, these words pointed to the end of legalized slavery, as well as to the illegitimate nature of the Confederacy’s efforts to maintain its participation in the slave trade.
And while many of us, today, may not have a familiarity with the words of the Emancipation Proclamation, we are hopefully familiar with its purpose and effect. While not perfect, it was a meaningful step of justice toward the liberation of the oppressed.
During this month of June, we celebrate a special holiday that carries the name “Juneteenth.” This holiday enjoins us as a national community in recognition and celebration of the last slaves to hear of their freedom. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, that slaves in the state learned they had been proclaimed “free” more than two years prior.
I share this with you, not only to mark the importance of this celebration in the life of the church, but also to point out that the date that is remembered and celebrated is not January 1, 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, but rather the date when the last of those to be held in slavery discovered their freedom.
Certainly, we could draw a variety of conclusions and lessons from this reality. But, perhaps one thing that we can discover in the midst of our celebration is that it is not merely enough to enact in our laws – in our policies – in our church – that we seek to repent from our national sin of racism. Rather, it becomes vital that we seek to make it a reality in the lives of all.
Sadly, still today, we continue what has become a national debate as to the appropriateness of educating future generations about our country’s complicity when it comes to slavery, Jim Crow culture, and even the institutionalized racism we harbor today. To ignore these realities is to assume that the weight of these past and present injustices have faded away. Instead, we must remember that like Juneteenth, we celebrate, not the day we choose to do better, but the day we let freedom, justice, and mercy become real and known to all.
Peace,
Pastor Brian
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