Today is June 19th.
 
Today, we commemorate Juneteenth. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when a group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned that they were free from the institution of slavery, almost two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.  
The first Juneteenth in 1866 was celebrated at church with food, singing, and the reading of spirituals. We celebrate Juneteenth today to recall how far we’ve come, and also to remember how far there’s left to go in the work of freedom and justice for all.  
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. 


Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from Psalm 71.    
 

      In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;  
         let me never be put to shame.  
      2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;  
         turn your ear to me and save me.  
      3 Be my rock of refuge,  
         to which I can always go;  
         give the command to save me,  
         for you are my rock and my fortress.  
      4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,  
         from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.  
       5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,  
         my confidence since my youth.  
      6 From birth I have relied on you;  
         you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.  
         I will ever praise you.  
      7 I have become a sign to many;  
         you are my strong refuge.  
      8 My mouth is filled with your praise,  
         declaring your splendor all day long.


The Psalmist calls out to God for rescue and deliverance. Be my rock of refuge, he writes, to which I can always go. Consider what it might have been like to live in an age with little physical protection from the elements. Consider being pursued by an enemy and not having a place to go, or a lock on the door to your home. The psalmist writes plainly of his sense of vulnerability. Think about how such profound vulnerability, and such a righteous cry for deliverance has been repeated throughout history. 
  
As you listen to the psalmist’s words again, think about how it would have sounded to those in captivity: Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. Listen to the weight of this cry for deliverance, and for the prophetic hope found in God as refuge. 
  
As we end, consider what it means that God is our rescuer, our liberator, and our deliverer... both personally and through history.... and what those things mean for the work before followers of Jesus today. What does it mean to extend those parts of God’s character in your own life? What might it look like for you to take up the Kingdom work of justice?  
 
Music: The Lord Is My Shepherd - Vineyard Worship: (YouTube)