Juneteenth Renunciation of White Supremacy Service

At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation took effect; all enslaved people in Confederate states were declared legally free. But not everyone in Confederate territories would experience this freedom immediately. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas. Learn more about Juneteenth at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Juneteenth celebrates freedom, but also reminds us of the many ways in which the legacy of slavery still lives in our national life. We remember that many promises of freedom were not kept; that we have yet to live up to our ideals of 'liberty and justice for all.' Today, we invite you to participate in this worship service which both acknowledges the continuing wounds of racism in our nation - remembering especially the murders of nine Black men and women gathered for bible study at Emanuel AME Church in 2015 - and calls us each to renounce the ways of white supremacy. This worship service, we pray, is only the beginning of a long road of repentance and new life; the road toward freedom and justice for all of God's beloved children.

Permission for June 19th Renunciation of White Supremacy Service

Up to the Mountain (MLK song). Music and lyrics: Patty Griffin, 2005. Recorded version used in today’s worship available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA6Q5-Ap3o8. Inspired by the text of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final speech before his assassination in 1968.

Up to the Mountain touches upon emotions surrounding the widely-known and quoted 1968 "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, given the day before MLK’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. Originally recorded by Solomon Burke in 2006 and Griffin herself in 2007, it has found greater prominence in performances and recordings since then by Kelly Clarkson and Jeff Beck, Susan Boyle, Crystal Bowersox, and Kree Harrison.

Black Lives Matter. Text: Ruth Duck. Music: THELMAJEAN, Robert A. Harris. © 2015 Hope Publishing Company, 380 S Main Pl, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used and streamed by permission under OneLicense.net license number #A-708353.

Spoken Liturgy

Emanuel Nine Confessional Litany and Lament and The Witness of the Emanuel Nine: A Litany of Remembrance for Their Vocations NW WA Synod Resource for Congregation Observance on June 14, 2019. Shared by the Strategic Team for Authentic Diversity.

Confession and Repentance on the 400th Anniversary of Slavery in the United States, written by Rev. Elizabeth Rawlings for Disrupt Worship Project, adapted by Pastor Katy McCallum Sachse

Renunciation of White Supremacy, written by Jason Chestnut for Disrupt Worship Project, adapted by Pastor Katy McCallum Sachse

Spoken liturgy from SundaysandSeasons.com, alt., used by permission under Augsburg Fortress License #14006-LIT. Addition spoken liturgy written by the local community, used by permission of the authors.

Additional scripture quotations may be taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.

Additional scripture quotations may be taken from the Spark Story Bible, a paraphrase with contributions by Patti Thisted Arthur, et. Al. © 2009 Augsburg Fortress. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.