Bishop Michael Bruce Curry had Black Twitter shoutin’ during his spirited sermon at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal wedding this past Saturday. The passionate preacher, however, initially believed his invitation to preach was an April Fools’ joke.
While speaking with several media outlets, Bishop Curry—the first Black presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.—revealed how he received the big news.
“I got a phone call, and I didn’t believe it,” he told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. “A member of my staff called and said, ‘They’d like you to preach at the royal wedding,’ and I said, ‘Get out of here it’s April Fools. You’ve got to be kidding me.’ And it was actually true.”
Bishop Curry’s rousing sermon was the ultimate Black church experience, especially for the non-Black guests. He quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., referenced the Balm of Gilead and spoke of love to a sea of priceless reactions. “I’ve learned to be able to hear an amen by looking in their eyes,” he said about the quiet audience. “And I was looking in the eyes of people that were there, and they were doing quiet British amen.”
He later admitted to Today that he was “a little bit nervous” but did confirm that he had permission to discuss the topics he added in his word.
Now that the wedding hoopla has died down, the bishop believes the couple will continue to do great work for the world.
“They’re going to work to make this world better,” he told Good Morning Britain.