“BECAUSE when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, . . . like we are actually family.” This was the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, the Most Revd Michael Curry, delivering the sermon during the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in St George’s Chapel (News, 19 May 2018).
The memory most people have of the wedding was not how stunning Meghan’s dress was, or the beautiful gospel choir, or even whether Meghan’s father would attend. What the public most remembered was the part of the service which most people forget: the sermon.
It was about the power of love. Bishop Curry preached a whirlwind sermon that reached millions of people worldwide. He spoke of this power of love to transforms people’s hearts and minds, and nations.
In that same ceremony, the young couple did something that all wedding couples do: they made promises to each other in front of many witnesses and, most importantly, God. They vowed to comfort, honour, and protect each other. And, within the Anglican tradition, the liturgy continues to say, “forsaking all others”. This is our theological and practical understanding of marriage.
From now on, Harry and Meghan must put each other first — before each other, before family, and before country. As a Christian community, we expect that those vows will be kept, and the power of love will be displayed by sacrificing everything for the other, as Christ sacrificed himself for us.
THE Oprah…
