Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada wanted to provide resources for congregations to celebrate Juneteenth in their congregations!

In a deeply personal reflection reposted by Blessed Tomorrow, scholar Claire B. Crawford names the grief many feel amid climate anxiety, violence, division, and uncertainty while offering a prayerful call toward resilience, responsibility, and hope. Grounded in lament yet refusing despair, the piece invites readers to grieve what is broken without surrendering the possibility of healing and collective action. Read the original reflection from Blessed Tomorrow.

Last week, marked eleven years since we lost nine beautiful souls.

On June 17th, 2015, these faithful individuals welcomed a stranger into their Bible study. Their final collective act was one of radical hospitality and profound courage.

Their lives demonstrated that love is a fierce force of resistance. The Nine and the survivors did not succumb to terror.

Eleven years later, the legacy of the Emanuel Nine lives on as a testament to unyielding love, moral courage, and the refusal to let hatred prevail.

On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas finally learned they were free. Juneteenth commemorates that day and invites us to remember both the long struggle for freedom and the ongoing work of justice.

As people of faith, we give thanks for those who persevered in hope and continue to work toward a world where all God’s children can live in dignity, freedom, and peace.

God of freedom,

for voices that would not be silenced,

for hope that would not die,

for courage that carried people forward,

we give you thanks.

May we remember,

may we learn,

and may we join in your work

of justice, healing, and liberation.

Amen.

On June 18th, we honor the memory of the Emanuel Nine and continue to commit ourselves to the work of justice, reconciliation and faith.

“Creator God,

You lovingly created every person in Your beautiful image. We confess that we have not loved and protected Your beloved creation well. Racism and hate continue to blossom, disfiguring Your beautiful and divine plan for human life.

Help our unbelief, O God, in the realities of racism and oppression; remove the scales from our eyes and our hearts. Forgive us for our participation, both knowingly and unknowingly, in its flourishing. Give us the courage to remember and share these true stories of cruelty and injustice, and those who, because of it, lost their lives and freedom. Grant us determination and an accountable community to interrupt these unjust systems. Help us to use our voices, our agency, and our faith to advocate for justice.

Amen.

Read Here.