"Show me a God who will end slavery and I will believe in him." That is what a slave named Kizzie said in the mini-series, "Roots", based on the book by Alex Haley about the lives of his ancestors.
The heart-breaking story of Kizzie (named after the African word for "Stay Put") is one that I have never forgotten. She was the daughter of Kunta Kinte, a young man who grew up in Africa, was captured and brought to the United States as a slave. Her father taught her about African culture and she quickly realized that she was inferior to no other human, no matter what their race. However, her confidence got her in trouble when she tried to help another slave escape. At age 15, she was ripped from the arms of her parents and taken to a new "owner" who repeatedly raped her, apparently for decades. A son was born out of the violence. At her darkest moment, she is seen carrying her son into a lake, where she was going to drown both herself and the infant. That act would have brought an end to Alex Haley's bloodline and we may never have had "Roots". She stops and turns around when she realizes that she must live to pass on the story of life in Africa. Little did she know how much that story would grow. Kizzie did not live long enough to see slavery end in the United States, but our faith tells us that her soul was still alive in heaven when it happened. Our faith tells us that her soul was still alive in heaven one hundred and ten years later when the story of her life hit our television screens. Well, Kizzie, meet your God!
Life is full of miracles. Some of them happen overnight and some of them happen over time. Today we celebrate Juneteenth, the day when the last of the slaves received the news that they were freed - two years after the emancipation proclamation. I like the fact that we wait to celebrate until everyone knew that they were free. You can actually be free but it doesn't help much unless you know that you are free. That is an important lesson that can be taken from today. The other is that we have a God who truly believes that Black Lives Matter. This should be joy to the ears of all races because what He did for others is the same thing that He would do for us if we were in the same situation.
People can be freed from slavery - such an important message of hope. Slavery can take many forms. Today people living in a free country can still be enslaved by things like addiction, eating disorders, mental illness and abusive relationships. Prejudice and hate can become an addiction themselves. Sometimes the tightest chains are the ones we put around ourselves. However, as the second of the twelve steps states "We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity". If we rely on his power, our freedom will stay put.
"Truly he taught us to love one another, his law is love and his gospel is peace,
Chains he shall break for the slave is our brother, and in his name all oppression shall cease!"
From the second verse of "Oh Holy Night".
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