"... all things work together for good to those who love God." (Romans 8:28, New King James Version)
Much of the news that garners the public’s attention is not particularly uplifting. Just last week in Texas there was another school shooting. This time ten people died and an equal number were injured, contributing to the widespread divisiveness that endures along religious, political, cultural and racial lines in this country and around the world. On top of this, mother nature remains in a state of mayhem as the dangerous volcanic eruptions continue on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Spiritually we know such occurrences are not necessarily permanent and the human ones can be changed. Nevertheless, it can take a mental toll when we are constantly bombarded by such news. It is important to fast from the barrage of negative broadcasts so that we can come back and see these events with spiritual insight.
With this in mind, I decided to watch the re-broadcasting of the Royal Wedding that took place on Saturday. This is something I would normally have no interest in at all. None. Nada. But a congregant suggested I check it out, if for no other reason than to hear the words from Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry. Although he first thought the invitation to preach at the Royal Wedding was an April Fool’s joke, his speech lit up the ceremony. Bishop Curry spoke on the power of radical, social love; just what is needed to heal and transform all sense of separation that exists in our world.
As I watched, I noticed how there seemed to be something going on behind the scenes. Perhaps the hand of Spirit was at work; A Divine Conspiracy with a message. No one would have guessed that the mother of the bride, Doria Raglan, a social worker, yoga teacher and African American woman from Culver City, California, would be sitting opposite Queen Elizabeth. A descendant of slaves, a child of America’s Great Migration and Jim Crow laws sat equal to the heiress to the throne. Only the invisible hand of God could have caused the love between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to bring together these two families from such different worlds: one from the royal house of the United Kingdom and the other from the household of a single mother. The formal and genteel nature of the Victorian environment was sprinkled with black ritual throughout the ceremony; a striking and unexpected juxtaposition of cultures.
In many respects, the Royal Wedding was more than surface pomp and circumstance (and there was plenty of that). It symbolized the possibilities of the human spirit. It demonstrated that we can break down the artificial barriers between people, groups and nations. We can open our eyes to see more than just our differences in color and culture. We can begin to really see each other and find the beauty inherent in each of us. It reminded us that the variety among us is necessary for Spirit to reveal its infinite nature. Moreover, it was an affirmation that all of us are glorifying the power, the presence and the love of God.
When we realize this truth, we can go back to the divisiveness that seems to be so prevalent and know it does not have the final word. It is the Divine Conspiracy of Love that does.
Peace and Blessings,
James