Juneteenth Sunday

Overview – The Theme for this Month is Pentecost, Pride & Power and we are looking at a

number of historical movements within the Black Christian tradition. All of them were

movements that were shunned at one point, deemed not holy enough but which have shaped

us in ways that we don’t often know. We started celebrating Prince  Pentecost Sunday we

learned of the Azusa Street Revival which started in Los Angeles  Pride Sunday we learned

about the Ballroom which started in the 1890s and was re-activated particularly in New York in

the 1980’s

On this Juneteenth Sunday we talk about the Hush Harbor spiritual communities that pre-date

both of these spaces and which were central to Black Spirituality in this country

 Black people knew that they were not being given the full story of Christianity from their

white slave masters (example – the Slave Bible cuts out most of Exodus)

 While many believed in the stories of Christianity and the example of Jesus they also

maintained their ancestral practices from Africa.

 They created a Black Christianity that merged the two – and that was considered

dangerous so they could not practice freely

 Often went into the woods to worship. Couldn’t be too loud which limited instruments,

but they used their voices and sometimes had to hush to avoid getting caught

Hush Harbors

1. They created spaces outside of official church structures to worship freely. It is a

reminder that the Holy Spirit is often not welcome in official church spaces.

2. They embraced their ancestral tradition of embodied Spirit which influences us today

3. One of their core practices was testimony. A space where folks could tell their own

story. A reminder that God is still moving.

On this Juneteenth Sunday where many forces are trying to erase this history and to once again

cut out the liberatory message of the gospel – we are called not just speak out but to hold onto

this practices and traditions – to be willing to worship God out in the wilderness even if it is in

defiance of the established church and to do so with our full body and not be ashamed to share

our testimonies

Reflections Questions

1. What is your relationship with the institutional church? Are you still wanting to be part

of it, completely over it or somewhere in between? How does that relationship affect

your spiritual life?

2. How is embodiment a part of your faith or not? How can you bring more engagement of

your body into your spiritual practice?

3. Testimony was a central practice of hush harbors. How have you reflected on your

relationship with God? How comfortable are you with sharing your spiritual journey

with others?