Honoring Juneteenth

Known as "Juneteenth," Emancipation Day (or Freedom Day) commemorates June 19, 1865, when news to Galveston, Texas, announced the end of slavery. This occurred more than two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and months after the end of the Civil War.

Formerly enslaved people and their descendants would make yearly trips to Galveston in honor of Juneteenth. Today, the tradition of commemorating the day has spread across the nation with a variety of gatherings and public events. In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday.

Also named Jubilation Day, Juneteenth is more than a holiday. This faith-infused story of jubilee for enslaved African Americans follows a familiar story in the Bible from Luke 4.

When Jesus introduced himself in Luke 4, He entered the synagogue and pulled out the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus’ preaching of Isaiah’s prophecy about himself as our loving Liberator is our model: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18–19).

Slavery was a tremendous burden on the African Americans who endured it, effectively leaving a legacy of doubt, anger, depression, and lack of self-worth. Juneteenth is a testimony that God answers the prayers of the weary by giving rest from what troubles us. In Christ, we have true freedom.

Jesus’ love for us is our measure of what it means to love. Being led by God’s Spirit is our method. Treasuring God’s Word guides us. Our call is to be Christlike.

How Christians Can Engage with Juneteenth and America’s Black History

• Educate yourself, your family, or your church about Black history and the current lived realities of Black people in the United States.
• Books for Personal & Community Learning
• Right Now Media

Contact Dr. Steven McGriff, Director of Biblical Unity at Valley Christian Schools