Dear Central Church,
If you went to the bank today, you may have discovered that it was closed. Perhaps you shrugged your shoulders, determined you could complete your business at the ATM, and thought, “Hmm, another obscure banker’s holiday.” Unless you needed to sign loan papers, you probably could have gone about your day with little interruption.
Interruption, however, may be the point of today, and it is necessary. Today is Juneteenth, a day that marks the end of slavery in the United States—a day when the good news of freedom finally interrupted the oppression of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed.
This may feel like a “new” holiday for some of us, but my African American friends have always celebrated it. Maybe you didn’t grow up with this moment being part of your story, but I’m thankful for an "interruption" that allows us to hear this story and to be a part of it.
As I reflect on this moment, my mind is drawn to the words of the prophet Isaiah, where a “Juneteenth-like” experience is described as good news comes to exiles in bondage:
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
—Isaiah 52:7
Every race and ethnicity can celebrate this good news that God breaks every chain, sets captives free, and establishes peace where there was once oppression. In Isaiah’s words, the messengers of freedom are beautiful because they carry the echo of God’s reign—a reign marked not by domination, but by deliverance. A reign that will eventually interrupt and disrupt every evil in the world, making right everything that is wrong.
Yet Juneteenth also reminds us that freedom delayed is still injustice. The truth of liberation had been spoken in law, but its arrival was postponed for far too many. The gospel we proclaim is not only spiritual—it is also deeply social. Our faith calls us to rejoice in the freedom Christ brings and to labor for justice wherever people still wait for freedom’s full arrival.
So this week, as we celebrate Juneteenth, we remember that the God who reigns is a God of complete salvation. John Wesley said, “There is no holiness apart from social holiness.” We give thanks for the brave feet that carried the good news of freedom, and we ask God to give us the same courage—to be people who proclaim peace, live out salvation, and announce with our lives, “Our God reigns.” May we continue to be a church of beautiful feet—walking in step with the good news of Jesus and bringing hope, justice, and freedom to the world around us.
Just a programming note about this Sunday: It’s VBS Sunday! We’ve had an amazing week of kids and adults experiencing Jesus, our “true North.” Our 9am service will feel like a regular service of praise, worship, and preaching. Our 10:30 service will feature our kids who will present a brief VBS program where I will share a VBS-themed sermon. It’s going to be a great day in the Lord, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Waiting with Joy,
Pastor Mark