Love: Reprising a Familiar Theme

Over the weekend, American actress Meghan Markle married England's Prince Harry in a typically lavish wedding spectacle watched by hundreds of millions worldwide (including my wife and daughter).  I, too, was captivated by the event, though I admit the attraction for me was the incredible architecture and stained glass of the venue, St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle (see more stunning photos like this one from an article, here).  Truly, high definition live TV has its advantages. And this was one of them.

At one point, American Bishop Michael Curry, who heads the Episcopal Church, stood to offer a speech to honor the couple.  He spoke, appropriately, about the power of love.  But he touched on some familiar themes that I've noted in previous posts and expounded on the concept, as only someone with his breadth of wisdom on the subject could do, in ways that were very thought-provoking.  I've provided some quotes from the talk here; but feel free to read the entire transcript (here) and, if possible, I'd recommend finding a video recording online and listening for yourself.  It was marvelous.  Some of my favorite quotes:

The late Dr. Martin Luther King once said and I quote: "We must discover the power of love, the power, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this whole world a new world. But love, love is the only way." There is power in love. Don't underestimate it. Don't even oversentimentalize it. There is power, power in love...

There's an old medieval poem that says where true love is found, God himself is there. The New Testament says it this way. Beloved, let us love one another. Because love is of God and those who love are born of God and know God. Those who do not love do not know God. Why? Because God is love. There is power in love.  There's power in love to help and heal when nothing else can. There's power in love to lift up and liberate when nothing else will. There's power in love to show us the way to live... 

 

Someone once said that Jesus began the most revolutionary movement in human history. A movement grounded in the unconditional love of God for the world. And a movement mandating people to live and love ad in so doing, to change not only their lives but the very life of the world itself. I'm talking about some power -- real power. Power to change the world...

When love is the way -- unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive, when love is the way. Then no child would 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. Wen love is the way poverty will become history. When love is the way the earth will become 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.  Cause when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, like we are actually family. When love is the way we know that God is the source of us all. And we are brother and sisters, children of God. Brothers and sisters, that's a new heaven, a new earth, a new world, a new human family...

 

Dr. King was right. We must discover love the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world.