Yesterday was Juneteenth. President Trump had planned to hold a rally in Tulsa, OK, on that date but pushed it back one day after outcry over Juneteenth which celebrates the end of slavery in America every June 19th. I didn’t know about Juneteenth until this week, despite having taught American History. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863 but the June 19th date did not become significant until 1865. Slavery was not done away with in the United States until the 13th amendment was passed.
June 19th is a date near and dear to me for another reason. I was saved (or accepted Christ, became a Christian, whatever vocabulary suits your faith tradition) back on June 19, 1988. There’s probably a sermon illustration in there somewhere about salvation, freedom, and no longer being enslaved to sin. You know preachers, anything could be a sermon illustration.
Pink Starburst water, self-driving floor mop, Father’s Day pics after the jump.
If you are a follower of The Master’s Table, or a former student, or have ever listened to me preach, teach Sunday School or lead a small group of any kind, you know by now that I do not pick up a recent newspaper and use the headlines for talking points about Bible prophesy. During Advent I talk about prophecies of the Messiah being fulfilled by Jesus’s birth and the events surrounding it. During Easter and Pentecost I talk about prophesies Jesus fulfilled during his earthly ministry, his death, burial and resurrection, and the promise we have of his future return. What I have never done is point to earthquakes, volcanoes, war in the Middle East or any other current event while quoting snippets of scripture and saying “See, the Bible says so.” I’ve seen preachers and other church leaders look foolish when Mikhail Gorbachev did not turn out to be the antichrist, Saddam Hussein was not the Beast described in Revelation and the world did not end in 1988 despite the list of 88 reasons that it was going to. 
The Master's Table 