“Let the Chains Fall”
On a warm June day in 1865, the sun rose over Galveston, Texas, just like it always had. But this day would be different — this day would become Juneteenth. Two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the message of freedom finally reached the enslaved people of Texas. General Gordon Granger stepped ashore with 2,000 federal troops and declared, in General Order No. 3: “All slaves are free.”
Imagine the scene: men and women who had labored under the scorching sun, whose names were never written in history books, suddenly hearing the words they had long prayed for. Some wept. Some danced. Some stood still, stunned. And all knew — something had shifted. God had heard their cries.
In Exodus, God said to Moses, “I have seen the misery of my people … and I have come down to rescue them.” (Exodus 3:7-8). On Juneteenth, that divine rescue took shape through messengers on horseback, and through a General’s voice. But make no mistake: it was God who was moving. The God of justice. The God of freedom.
And yet, the road from that day forward was not easy. Freedom declared is not always freedom lived. Our nation continued — and still continues — to wrestle with the consequences of slavery, racism, and injustice. But Juneteenth is not only a reminder of how long justice can take. It is also a celebration of the God who never forgets.
The story of Juneteenth is not just Black history — it is sacred history. It is a testimony of deliverance, just like Israel’s. It’s a sign that though weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
So today, Church, we remember. We honor those who suffered in silence. We rejoice with those who received the news of freedom. And we commit, as followers of Christ, to walk in the footsteps of our Lord — who came to set the captives free (Luke 4:18).
Let us be a church that listens. A church that learns. A church that speaks up and stands firm. And above all, let us be a church that lives out the gospel of freedom — not just in word, but in action.
Because on that June day in Galveston, chains were broken. And today, by the power of Jesus, chains still fall. Amen.