PEOPLE ARE still talking about that sermon delivered by Bishop Michael Curry at the recent Royal Wedding to the largest audience ever to listen to a preacher live.
Bishop Curry, head of America’s Episcopal Church, is the first black man to take on that role. A graduate from the Yale Divinity School, he has campaigned against injustice and is a supporter of same sex marriage.
Despite offending traditionalists with his view on human sexuality, no one can deny that his sermon was a big hit.
It not only touched on the subject of love, which is at the core of the Christian faith, but also covered slavery and science. Curry’s sermon not only packed in a lot, it also packed a huge spiritual punch. Soul Stirrings has compiled a list of 10 things that Christian speakers can learn from him…
1. Preaching on the topic of love is always a winner – no matter the spiritual state an individual is in or whether or not they believe in God or not.
2. Don’t be phased by one’s audience. It is possible to preach truth to power boldly, eloquently and truthfully
3. Preachers should always use real life examples to illustrate their sermons. Those examples can come from an individual’s own personal experiences, or, as in the case of Curry, draw on history as in his reference to slaves, or science, as in his comments about fire. And don’t be afraid to use painful and shameful historical experiences, either.
4. Always draw on biblical scriptures when preaching.
5. In order to hold a congregation’s attention, preach with passion, emotion and verve, as well as courage. You may have to speak truths that have the potential to offend those with closed minds or know they are guilty of the wrong being mentioned.
6. When an individual preaches a great message they’ll always be people who will find some fault or personal failing in order to question or invalidate the truth shared.
7. Curry’s sermon lasted just 16 minutes. Though that’s a short length of time in some circles it was long enough to make an impact. It’s not the length of time you preach that has the impact. It’s what you preach within that time that makes the difference.
8. If you do preach over your allocated time do so cautiously and make sure what you say is of quality and worth hearing.
9. Live what you preach. Soon after preaching such a powerful and prophetic sermon Bishop Curry was part of a campaign outside the White House.
10. End your sermon on a high note. Leave people feeling good, reflective and desirous to please God by being their best self.
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