Yesterday, before finalising my Pentecost Sermon I felt compelled to view the sermon given by Bishop Michael Curry as part of the Royal Wedding ceremony. I was prompted by Sky’s news video headline, ‘Reactions to THAT sermon’ (sic.), and the sudden realisation that a black preacher from a progressive denomination in the United States, with all of his heritage in tow, would be addressing a white Royal family and assembled guests. This invitation, in itself, said something powerful about how the tapestry of our culture as viewed by members of its highest echelons, is changing for the better. For me, Curry’s sermon was powerful not only because he brought a refreshing style to what would usually be viewed as a ‘traditional’ event, but because of how the Holy Spirit worked in and through him.
By ‘traditional’ I am referring to a style of worship where people’s idea of solemnity stems from the presiding minister adopting a peculiar form of public speaking where liturgy is recited and vowels are accentuated in a way which suggests that God is a million miles away; in an accent – a holy voice – that the presiding would not use in other settings. This caricature is, I admit, the worst representation of what traditional done badly looks like. It conjures up the image of a remote God, one that was so powerfully taken off by Monty Python in the Meaning of Life in portraying the worst of what public school religious services have to offer; ‘Dear God, you’re so very, very, big. Gosh we are all impressed down here, I can tell you….we sing the hymn…O Lord don’t burn us don’t put us in a vat. Don’t lightly fry or roast us, or boil us in chip fat.’ (Not word for word, but I am sure that you get the sense of it). I am not against tradition per se – quite the opposite, I am in favour of it – but the danger within any tradition (including those that are more charismatic) is that congregations mistake style for substance and somehow miss out on the sense of awe. Yet, on Saturday, I felt that despite his excitement and arm waving exuberance (I love a good arm-wave by he way), Curry’s message prevented this. And yes, whilst much could be attributed to Bishop Michael Curry, we must also acknowledge that the Holy Spirit was at work. Not quite as much at work to raise an ‘Amen, Preach it Brother’, response from a white face in the middle of the nave, but there was evidence that God was at work. At least it got a response.
This is not to say that the Spirit absents himself from our worship. Far from it. As far as my own practice goes, I never ask the Holy Spirit to ‘be present’ at the start my services – because I believe that she is always there. I suspect that there is a case to be made that if the conditions are not quite right, the Spirit loiters at the back, or in the lobby – because there is such a thing as resisting or even quenching the Spirit. But she/he is always present, longing to do more. Nevertheless, I do pray that God the Father would make us sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s presence as we reflect on Jesus’ teachings. We know that the Spirit brings many things; conviction, comfort, help, gifting’s, power, and boldness to name but a few. And yes, there are times where we seem to sense the presence of the Spirit in a much more tangible way.
On Saturday Curry spoke directly to the congregation of how Jesus did not receive and honorary doctorate for dying on the cross (as if the cross is something that can be acknowledged and moved on from, with no real engagement), quoted someone else’s view that Jesus Christ was the greatest revolutionary in human history (a clever way of saying something without having to say it yourself), and how the power of love is such that when we apply it, we can change the world. There was no let-out here, and as Annabel Crab of ABC News pointed out, in terms of Episcopalian preaching, he was barely tapping the accelerator. His points were driven home with reference to how love gave black slaves in the deep South the ability to find the strength to endure and fight for freedom from slavery, and a list of what would change if we did more with the power of love. He stated:
He (Jesus) didn’t die for anything he could get out of it. Jesus did not get an honorary doctorate for dying. He didn’t… he wasn’t getting anything out of it. He gave up his life, he sacrificed his life, for the good of others, for the good of the other, for the wellbeing of the world… for us.
That’s what love is. Love is not selfish and self-centred. Love can be sacrificial, and in so doing, becomes redemptive. And that way of unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive love changes lives, and it can change this world.
“If you don’t believe me, just stop and imagine. Think and imagine a world where love is the way.”Imagine our homes and families where love is the way. Imagine neighbourhoods and communities where love is the way.
Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce where this love is the way.
Imagine this tired old world where love is the way. When love is the way – unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive.
When love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again.
When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook.
When love is the way, poverty will become history. When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary.
When love is the way, we will lay down our swords and shields, down by the riverside, to study war no more.
When love is the way, there’s plenty good room – plenty good room – for all of God’s children.
“Because when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well… like we are actually family.
All this to a mixed congregation, some of whose ancestors had grown wealthy off the back of slavery, or had sent men and women into battle, who had grown richer whilst the poor became poorer, whose very existence and status had undermined the prospect of equality. Meanwhile, celebrities who were one step removed from Royal life were reminded of the craziness of our world that it can put such emphasis on one vocation over another. I am a fan of football, and of rugby, but it is difficult to see how kicking an inflated pigs bladder around a pitch can make a difference to injustice in the world. On the other hand, fame, notoriety, and celebrity can provide an opportunity to direct people’s attention to charitable needs; and I think it right therefore that David Beckham, Elton John and the rest were in attendance.
Bishop Curry said the word ‘love’ 57 times.
I was particularly interested by how different members of the congregation responded. Media access has allowed the Royal Family to project itself as a global media brand, so it was unsurprising, particularly post Diana, to see media involvement. Yet Sky News employed lip readers who could be attentive to what people were saying as they went in, and whatever one might say about the Bishops sermon, the footage from inside the chapel showed that some of the guests were unable to contain their surprise. I must say that in my own services I am very careful about making judgements on the basis of how people look, because sometimes people can look like they are waiting outside a dentists, and yet they come up to you after the service and say how they found the service helpful, even asking theological questions. Others do engage, but I am pretty much sure that they would engage with anything you gave them. Yet what the guests said to each other as they went in, and the looks on people’s faces during the sermon, were amazing. The Mail Online states, ‘One woman who was speaking on her phone as she walked in was read saying, ‘I am not hungover today, so that’s really good.’ Earl Spencer chats with his wife about a friend who works in Africa. Actor Edris Elba rates the venue as ‘not bad’, Zara Tindall (heavily pregnant) needs the loo (I am not sure that I would have printed that, but it is, at the very least a great leveller). On the way out, Meghan asks Harry if they should kiss – and he says, discreetly, ‘Yes’. Meanwhile, the Queen tells Prince Philip, ‘Keep Waving’. Finally as the couple pass into they Royal gardens, Harry is seen to say. ‘I am ready for a drink now!’
What interests me is the normality of all of this, despite the pomp and circumstance of the occasion, and the guest’s respectability. More interesting were the responses to Bishop Curry’s sermon. Princess Beatrice was struggling to contain her amusement (or was it excitement at the shakedown). Prince Philips eyebrows almost went through the roof when Michael spoke of Jesus Christ as a revolutionary. Charles and Camilla looked to be in a reflective mood as they heard him speak of the power of love. Harry was nervously twitching. Camilla also seemed to be leafing through the order of service as if she was losing interest, but the lip reading suggests she had simply lost her place. Meghan was loving every moment of it. On a serious note, it felt to me that despite Bishop Curry having no formal authority here in Britain – he was a guest preacher – he nevertheless spoke with an authority that came from God, leaving people with the understanding that whatever they chose, they had to do something with THAT sermon. The line about Jesus not receiving an honorary doctorate for dying on the cross was particularly powerful. Jesus’ death demands a response. We need to honour Jesus far more than we are honoured. Jesus invites us to give our life in service in response to him, not simply our life in service.
Finally, Praise God for a wedding that was not upstaged by the bride. I love presiding at weddings, and very few people ask for a church wedding, especially in a Methodist Church, unless God has some kind of spiritual significance to them and the vows that they make. However, it seems to me that in most cases, the groom ends up saying yes to everything for a peaceful life, as relatives amass to make the wedding a perfect day for the bride. All the groom is left to do, in the worst case scenario, is to say ‘yes’ to everything, and ‘I do’, and ‘With God’s help I will’ to everything else. Very often, and despite best intentions, the focus comes off God on the run up to the ceremony, and can be lost. I think that our Anglican and Catholic colleagues may struggle with this more, in that I have a friend who is an Anglican priest, serving in an ornate Church, but rather than looking for God on their wedding day, they are looking for a fairy-tale venue. Today I even heard of churches who were attending Wedding Fayres so that people might be aware of what they can offer.
I rejoice that whatever people may say about the ceremony and the wedding, God remained centre-stage. Interestingly, ABC news suggested that the Bishop stole the ceremony; that he became the main story in a sense; the person that everyone was talking about, rather than the bride. My view is that I would much rather have people talking about the Bishop who spoke of the power of love to transform the world, who reminds the assembled that God is the key to everything, and God is the one to whom we are accountable, rather than what the bride is wearing and how the cleaners are going to get the confetti off the carpet.
Praise God. God Save the Queen, and the Royal Family, and the assembled guests, and us all, so that we might do great things through the power of love, and honour God as God should be honoured.
