This column is appearing on June 19, now recognized as ‘Juneteenth National Independence Day.’
That was not a holiday I grew up with, and maybe the same is true for you. Needing help, I went to Google and got: “Juneteenth marks the official announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, which happened about two and a half years after President Lincoln signed it in 1863. This delay was due to the ongoing Civil War and the slow advance of Union troops into the Confederacy. Enslaved people in Texas were not informed of their freedom until Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay in June 1865.”
Some further digging revealed that two states, Kentucky and Delaware, did not emancipate remaining slaves until Dec. 6, 1865, after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Just the same, the Juneteenth holiday is celebrated on June 19, owing to the Texas announcement. On Sept. 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Again , Google assistance describes it as ‘a preliminary declaration that would eventually free slaves in Confederate-held territory. It was issued following the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam. The proclamation warned that if Confederate states did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in those states would be declared free.”
The next federal holiday after Juneteenth will be Independence Day, July 4, which celebrates liberty from the King of England, which, while declared by a document signed July 4, 1776, took a grueling war to make this a reality.
These very real ‘declarations of Liberty’ led me to ponder the greatest declaration of Liberty the world has ever known or will know. It is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, in the Gospel according to St. Luke, chapter 4. Jesus of Nazareth returns to His hometown and visits the synagogue as was His custom. Having been given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah from which to read, He found the place (Isaiah, chapter 61) where He proceeded to read aloud: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus had come to free us from the worst possible slavery and bondage there is: slavery and bondage to sin, death, hell, and the devil himself. St. John would write of Jesus: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:8) By His death on the cross, Jesus fully atoned for our sins. His resurrection from the tomb on Easter morning demonstrated the freedom from sin and death that belongs to all who trust Him.
It is possible to be freed from earthly slavery or bondage (physical, economic, or otherwise) and still be a slave. This is a truly sad plight, and totally avoidable, IF the good news of the Gospel is brought to ears eager to hear and be set free. Hear the words of Jesus from St. John, chapter 8, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free… so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
There is still another dimension of freedom for the Christian to ponder: God wants us to trust Him that He is able to free us from sinful habits and patterns of the past. Many are the witnesses who can testify to this truth, although many are also ashamed enough of their former sins that they do not speak out about this. But their changed lives are a living witness. This is liberty and freedom being lived out.
If Juneteenth is relatively new to you, perhaps refrain from scorn or cynicism, and consider how meaningful it is to those whose ancestors were affected. And let the notion of freedom and liberty bring you face to face with the good news of Jesus, and the greatest liberation of all time!
