If you haven’t seen the New York Times Op-Ed column by Bono printed on April 18th,
check it out here.
In this piece, we hear Bono the songwriter and singer extraordinaire turn preacher. He begins by explaining briefly and vividly the rhythm of the church year to set the context. He then moves to opening up the promise and power of Easter by sharing its effect on him via a personal story about his father’s death a few years ago. He moves to his main theme by offering Easter joy as a lens by which to look at our lives — really our souls — and, more so, the lives of our neighbors throughout the world, especially those who suffer in this time of economic recession. These two things — our souls and the plight of our neighbor — are intimately linked, for Bono, and so he concludes his sermon — er, I mean column — by inviting us to reconsider soul-work in light of what is happening in and outside the church.
Opening up the biblical and liturgical context so as to invite us in. Naming the gospel and bringing it to life through personal narrative. Leading us from gospel promise into the world. Inviting us to new life in light of God’s ongoing work in the world (and in this case often outside of the church). A preacher could do worse.