John Claypool is the rector of St. Luke’s Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Several years ago he was asked to deliver a series of sermons for the weekly radio broadcast, “The National Protestant Hour.”

He began one of his sermons with this statement, “Words are like little children. They are always in motion and almost never still for long.”

He then reviewed the history of the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, following the devastating fire in 1675, which destroyed much of the city. Sir Christopher Wrenn was commissioned to spearhead that enormous project which spanned over three decades. Finally, upon its completion, the monarch, Queen Anne, requested a personal tour of the Cathedral by Wrenn.

Excited and nervous about such an honor, but wary about what her majesty’s opinion of his work would be, he of course accompanied her on an extensive tour.

Afterwards, with trembling anticipation, he waited for her reaction. In classic English style, her response was succinct and direct as she used three adjectives to describe her impression of the new rebuilt cathedral: “It is awful; it is artificial; it is amusing.”

Upon hearing this, Sir Christopher dropped to his knees and profoundly thanked the Queen for such high compliments. But how could this be? How could Wrenn have been so grateful? “Words are always in motion and never stand still,” Claypool reminded his listeners. For in the early part of the 18th century, “awful” meant, “awe inspiring;” the word “artificial” meant, “artistic;” and the word “amusing” meant, “amazing.” Words, like children, are always changing.

This anecdote served as a prelude to Claypool’s main point. Just as the meaning of “awful, artificial, and amusing” had changed over time, so had other words, including the word “amateur.”

In today’s usage, “amateur” is contrasted with professional. It can be used in a demeaning and mean spirited way. It can suggest that someone is limited in ability and skill. But, Claypool pointed out that “amateur” is derived from the Latin verb for love, amare. In its original intent, an amateur was a person who did whatever she or he did “for the love of it.” That is, their motivation came from within and not from without. An “amateur” was not paid to do something, not coerced by any external force. The reason for such a person’s act was positive intentionality. Here were folk who did what they did for the sheer joy of it. In its original sense then, one could go so far as to describe God as “an amateur.”