Very interesting video clip of Bono recieving an award at the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People in the US. It's a very skilfully crafted sermon, which reminds me a bit of St. Paul before the Roman authorities in Acts. The first minute or so is spent buttering up the audience, so that they'll then recieve the important stuff he wants to say. He cites the people they see as heroes (Martin Luther King), and uses language which his audience will connect with.
The second half of this clip is very powerful. It's ruined by the crass voicever in the last few seconds, which almost destroys the message - and reminds me that what we do after sermons in worship is almost as important as the sermon itself in helping people to recieve and act on God's word. Mind you, I'd love to have an congregation so well grounded in black Pentecostalism that they stood and applauded when a sermon hit the spot. But..... the crucial question is, what did they do afterwards? And now I've heard the message, what will I do?
"True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. 'love thy neighbour' is not a piece of advice, it's a command. That means that in the global village we're going to have to start loving a whole lot more people. Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die." (Bono)
thanks to the christian enquiry agency blog for spotting this first...
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