You know you've made a cultural splash when they satirize you on Saturday Night Live!
Like many people, I watched a video of The Most Rev. Michael Curry's sermon at the royal wedding, and then I watched SNL's "interview with Bishop Curry" as well. First, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the show's producers managed to get the right vestments for their sketch! But more than that, I was delighted that Bishop Curry had made enough of an impact that people in the media were not just talking about him but even imitating him in skits. True, just his presence at that event made history: an African-American preaching in Windsor Castle, whose chapel had probably never before heard anyone preach like Bishop Curry preaches. And, most important, millions of people listened to his words and were talking about the content of a sermon! Imagine! It was a true act of evangelism, offering a vital witness to Jesus and the love which Jesus embodies (and giving our dear Episcopal Church more good publicity than we've had in years!).
The whole episode makes me happy, but there's a poignant quality to it that leaves me feeling a bit down. In all the commentary that has followed this, including SNL's funny sketch, people keep expressing amazement that anyone should preach with such animation and conviction about the transforming power of love. Various press accounts reported how stunning it was, all the more so because Bishop Curry alluded to the social aspects of love, like establishing justice, ending poverty, working for peace, and welcoming all people. That message needs to be proclaimed urgently and frequently. And for many followers of Christ, that is just part of what it means to experience and share God's love in this world.
So why the surprise in the media? Why are so many people acting like they have never heard such a message before? Well, I guess because maybe they haven't. Certainly Bishop Curry is a brilliant and inspiring preacher who can help all of us hear the Good News of God's love with fresh insights and renewed vitality. But even apart from that, the reality seems to be that, in our society, people don't always associate the church with a message of love. When non-believers think of church, all too often they think of rules, judgment, condemnation, and exclusion. The bemused and startled reactions by so many in the press seem to underline this very point.
So my take away from the royal wedding is that we as a church have work to do! Certainly when people think of Church of Our Saviour, I want them to associate our parish with love and the healing, welcoming, and embracing Good News of God's Reign. My personal goal is that when people hear a sermon extolling the transforming power of love, that they don't react in shock and say, "Alert the media!" I want them to say, "Yes! Of course!"
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