Editor’s Note: SPOILER alert. If you haven’t yet watched the royal wedding, be warned. Spoilers below.

I didn’t expect to be watching the royal wedding today.

I’m currently sitting in Belfast, Northern Ireland suffering a week’s worth of jet lag. My very Irish husband and sleep-deprived toddler happened to be napping, so I thought, Why not?

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, today, American actress Meghan Markle married British Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in London.

Pomp and circumstance don’t normally catch my attention. I was on a remote beach in India when Prince William married Kate Middleton—happily oblivious to life outside of early-morning diving, warm flaky samosas, and sipping scalding chai under salty mangroves.

But, today I wasn’t disappointed.

As an Alaskan married to an Irishman from the north of Ireland, I’ve had my own share of cross-Atlantic travel and immigration struggles. My husband and Irish family aren’t exactly fans of the royal family, but like a lot of people from the United States, I was curious.

A biracial American actress marrying into British royalty.

Meghan Markle is a woman with a career, daughter of a social worker, and holds a degree in international studies from Northwestern University. She’s not a typical candidate for royalty.

And if the expressions on the royal family during the ceremony are any indication, this wasn’t a typical wedding.

I don’t particularly care about the designers, or the famous guests, or the royal fervor, but there was one aspect of the ceremony that caught my attention—and I suspect the attention of many watching—The Most Reverend Michael Curry.

Bishop Curry is the first black presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States and boy, did he deliver.

Not only did his decibel and demeanor seem new to the quietly smiling—or was that smirking?—guests, his message was definitely fiery. Both in content and presentation.

His message was one of social justice and love. He called out national leaders, quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and brought the gritty realities of the world into St George’s Chapel. He mentioned slavery, science, and used humor.

We can all benefit from the passion and humanity of his sermon.

~

Relephant watch: 5 Mindful Things to Do Each Morning

Author/Editor: Kenni Linden
Image: BBC & BBC