Marked by excitement, joy, and gravity, the installation of the Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry as 27th presiding bishop featured a diverse liturgy, including readings in Spanish and Diné, gospel music, and traditional choral singing.
In his sermon, Curry acknowledged the political and societal challenges of our time and of focusing the church on reconciliation and evangelism. He also spoke of God’s power to turn the world upside down, transforming power structures and addressing perils like climate change and racism.
“If God has not given up on this world, we dare not give up on it either,” Curry preached to the capacity congregation. “God is not finished with this church. God has work for us to do. Jesus has shown us the way, and we are the Jesus movement.”
God, he said, can help us make the earth clean and whole again, end the starvation of children, and make justice flow down like a stream.
Curry, the first African American elected to the office, follows the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori.
Report and photo by Matt Townsend at Washington National Cathedral
