On Saturday, May 19, I spent my morning watching the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. You see, even though I am American, I love royal weddings. I think what I love the most is the pageantry and tradition they represent. A royal wedding also allows those of us who are watching to pause from the hurly burly activities of each day and enjoy something timeless and beautiful. But then I think all weddings do that to varying degrees. This particular royal wedding was everything a royal wedding should be and much more. You see, the various elements chosen by the couple seemed to truly represent who they are as individuals as well as who they are and will become as a couple. It was a beautiful blend of traditions. It was also a wedding filled with highlights.
The one element that was, at least for me, the total highlight of the ceremony was the sermon. All I can say is WOW! Bishop Michael Curry, the current presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, gave a powerful sermon that would end up being heard by millions upon millions of people and would be referenced and talked about in the news. He was engaging, animated, definitely not boring and his topic throughout was the power of love. If you missed hearing the sermon, or if you would like to hear it again you can read the full text here:
Or watch it here: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/royal-wedding-see-rev-michael-curry-s-full-sermon-1237513283662
In our world today we too often reserve our kindness, our consideration, our mercy, our love…for those who are just like us…who look like us, talk like us, even act like us. But our scriptures call us to love our neighbor as ourselves and our neighbors are not just the people who live next door to us. Our neighbors live all across the world, in all manner of life situations. Our neighbors may think, look, act, and talk differently than we do but they are still our neighbors and we are called to love them as we love ourselves. As Bishop Curry stated in his sermon:
“There’s power in love. Don’t underestimate it. Don’t even over-sentimentalize it. There’s power, power in love…
Oh there’s power, power in love. Not just in its romantic forms, but any form, any shape of love. There’s a certain sense in which when you are loved, and you know it, when someone cares for you, and you know it, when you love and you show it – it actually feels right.
There is something right about it. And there’s a reason for it. The reason has to do with the source. We were made by a power of love, and our lives were meant – and are meant – to be lived in that love. That’s why we are here.”
That is why we are here…to love and to share God’s love for all creation. We don’t get to pick and choose…we don’t get to decide who is worthy of love and who is not…we do however, get the awesome responsibility to love our neighbor.
So, thank you Bishop Curry for sharing your wisdom and reminding us love is powerful, love is redemptive, love is holy, love is the answer.
Peace,
Beth
Beth's Blog 
I also watched live (after being up all night at MIHS Project Graduation) and loved his sermon and that they had the short break in the middle for him to speak. I’m loving your blog!