Hearing the Good News of Liberation with Rev Dr. Kristofer Lindh-Payne

In today’s SSS, Kristofer invites us to ponder the importance of Juneteenth in our common lives and learn more about the commemoration’s history. On June 19, 1865 - two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect - the Union Army marched into Galveston, Texas in order to finally announce to the enslaved people of that region that they had been liberated. As God calls us to confront the sin of racism and work for justice in our own day, it is important to remember these milestone moments as we move along the “arch of the moral universe”. [1] A Prayer for Juneteenth by the Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Almighty God, you rescued your people from slavery in Egypt, and throughout the ages you have never failed to hear the cries of the captives; We remember before you our sisters and brothers in Galveston, Texas who received the glad tidings of their emancipation; Forgive us for the many grave sins that delayed that liberating word; Anoint us with your Spirit to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [1] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” Speech given at the National Cathedral, March 31, 1968.