The Joyful, The Sorrowful, The Powerful
It's hard to imagine more significant dates stacked together than they are this week. From the deeply personal, to historic commemorations, some filled with joy and others still drenched in lament, it's the perfect week for some deep conversation with God.
This Saturday is Juneteenth, the 156th anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States. The celebration began in Galveston Texas on June 19th, 1865 when Union Soldiers landed in Texas and brought word of the Emancipation Proclamation (which was signed on January 1, 1863) the surrender of the Army of Virginia made it possible for the proclamation to be enforced in Galveston. Black residents of Galveston, and eventually throughout the United States, rejoicing in this long delayed news, began to mark the date with annual celebrations, picnics, speeches, and worship, giving the glory to God for bringing freedom after so many generations of bondage.
This week also marks the halfway point in Pride month, which commemorates the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City and has spread to many cities and towns around the United States as an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQIA+ people and as a reminder that the march towards equality is not over as state legislatures around the country have sought this year to eliminate access to bathrooms, athletics, healthcare, and adoption. Parades, picnics, car caravans, and vigils accompany the celebrations in many communities.
June 20th is father's day, an opportunity to celebrate fathers everywhere, and yet for me, the occasion is bittersweet. I'm reminded each year at father's day that my family commemorates our grief, our loss, and our hope for joyful reunion at the day of resurrection just a few days before, on June 17th. If I want to see my father this Sunday, it will have to be as one of the glorious company of saints who have been gathered to Christ that join us at the table in Holy Communion.
June 17th isn't just a commemoration on my family calendar, it's a commemoration for the whole church as well. On that date, we remember the martyrs of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson are remembered in prayer and lament, as we continue to mourn their murder by a self-professed white supremacist during their weekly bible study. The many layers of loss and grief will certainly be in my prayers tomorrow.
O God, in your divine mystery you embrace difference in unity, and you call your people to live in peace with all. We pray for an end to racial and ethnic prejudice. Free us from the dread of difference. Free the church from constricting traditions. Free our society from centuries of violence against the other. Break down the walls that separate your people by color, culture, or religion. Call us to repentance for our sins of racism and prejudice, known and unknown. Transform discrimination into a passion for justice. Guide us to nurture a society that embodies reconciliation and cooperation among all, for the sake of the one who embodies your love, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
From sundaysandseasons.com.
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