The freedom we don't live in yet

a reflection on Juneteenth and all of us

Since I first learned about Juneteenth only a few short years ago, I have been stunned by its story of delayed freedom and the hope and endurance of enslaved people. In that precarious time that took us too long to acknowledge and celebrate, some were awaiting their freedom, gathering in churches and private homes in Watch Night services on December 31, 1862, awaiting the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation which took place the next day. Others were oblivious to the machinations and negotiations that were happening on this issue which would tell a large part of the story for them and for generations to come. But word of their declared freedom wouldn’t reach parts of the country until the 13^thamendment was signed on February 1, 1865, and that news wouldn’t reach parts of Texas until June 19, 1865, officially marking the end of slavery in America.

Freedom for enslaved people was decided and declared, and freedom was on its way, but the message of freedom took some time to arrive, and even longer to settle into the fabric of our country. Many would say we’re still waiting for the full embodiment of that freedom.

But in what ways might each of us relate to this idea of delayed freedom?

As a person of faith, I look to a clear and declared freedom that was given to me by Jesus thousands of years ago, but I don’t always live like I’m free. The message of our freedom can get snarled in the power structures of the world in which we live, can get lost as we live out our busy daily lives, can be blocked or drowned out by intentional cruelty, and can be twisted by those who might be threatened by the reality of a truly free people just as happened in Jesus’ day. Freedom, as all good things, takes time and intention to grow and to be fully realized, as Jesus taught in the parable of the seeds and the sower.

“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:3-9

If, as the psalmist said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” I suppose we could say that the opposite of freedom is fear. And since reason for fear can be found just about everywhere we look these days, we must choose to be intentional about looking for and living in the freedom that is ours.

If our freedom as Christians is knowing that our lives are secure in Christ, then that ‘knowing’ should cast out all of our fear but that’s not how most of us live. It’s not the way I live. Our freedom has been declared by the Lord, yes, and this freedom is on the way, but it’s incomplete. The message of freedom, like the Emancipation Proclamation, travels from person to person in time and place, but only if we will participate in its delivery. We people of faith could agree to be freedom’s messenger in each day by the ways in which we live, and in how we love one another. It’s our choice. When we humbly allow God to live in us wherever we are, and to tell the truth, and to care for the least of these among us, we advance the knowledge of the freedom that already belongs to all of us as a pure gift of a very good God.

But do we do that? Do I?

Galatians 5:13 in the Amplified translation reads:

For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another.

Friends, this week, let’s consider the gift of freedom that is already ours, and explore ways in which we can be its messenger in a world that really needs it. This week, may they know the freedom that comes from Christ, and may they know us by our love.

Raised Catholic rewind:

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What I’m reading/listening to/recommending this week:

Video: Oh Freedom!, by Cynthia Liggins Thomas

Article: The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, by National Museum of African American History Culture

Song: Nothing to Fear, by Porter’s Gate and Audrey Assad

Song: Freedom, by Jon Batiste

Song: Free, by Ginny Owens

Prayer:

Lord God, in you we are all free. Help us to encounter you, walk with you, and live like it’s true. For us and our dear ones in the name of Jesus and wrapped in Mary’s mantle, we pray, amen.