Who is Bishop Michael Curry, the royal wedding preacher?.
The world sat delighted with attention to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England. Like any wedding ceremony, there were choir songs, exchange of vows, and prayers of well-wishes for the new couple. But the breakout star of the Royal Wedding was none other than the Chicago-based Bishop Michael Curry, who delivered an electrifying sermon about the power of love. You can see a video of his sermon below.
The Bishop Curry’s speech opened with a reading from Song of Songs, a book from the Old Testament. He then immediately moved into a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we discover that, we will be able to make of this old world a new world. Love is the only way.” Bishop Curry delivered his speech with energy, masterful zest, and spoke passionately of love’s ability to transform the world.
He cited historical examples to complement his words. In a surprisingly political moment — a rarity for the royal family — Bishop Curry referenced slaves in the Antebellum South singing Psalms. “I am talking about some power. Real power. Power to change the world,” he said, of love. “If you don’t believe me, well, there were some old slaves in America’s Antebellum South who explained the dynamic power of love, and why it has the power to transform. They explained it this way. They sang a spiritual, even in the midst of their captivity. It’s the one that says there is a balm in Gilead—a healing balm.”
It was Bishop Curry’s fiery, passionate delivery that stole our hearts the most. At times ad-libbing and references modern-day conventions, like social media, he spoke fiercely about how love is “not selfish and self-centered. Love can be sacrificial and, in so doing, become redemptive.” Twitter lit up with reactions to his sermons, with many noting the bemused faces of the English wedding guests, many of whom presumably are unaccustomed to the spirit and zeal of African-American church sermons.
