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In touch

Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues

Sin of the world

Jesus: the one who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), not just my sin.

Context

Sin is a societal as well as a personal issue. A brief look at the news brings many examples readily to mind.

• The sin of the war in Ukraine.
• The sin that continues to mean that women are dying from domestic abuse.
• The sin of the delicate ecology of the planet being destroyed by selfish human activity.
• The sin of economic systems that leave millions in poverty while a few have more millions than they know what to do with.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

• When John the Baptist introduces Jesus, he does so by declaring him to be the ’the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. This emphasis on Jesus’ global or cosmic role is typical of the fourth Gospel. Famously the writer presents Jesus saying of himself ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…’ (John 3:16). In an age in which so much is centred on the individual there is an urgent need to rediscover a perspective that recognises the wholeness and interrelatedness of society, humanity and creation.
• Week in week out, or even every day, we pray ‘forgive us our sins’. It is interesting that Jesus uses the plural our and not the personal my in the Lord’s Prayer. But how often do we limit our horizon when we pray this prayer to our own personal sins, forgetting and ignoring the sins of society and those in positions of power in particular, that dishonour God and do so much damage?
• When we meet with Jesus in gathered worship, we are representing not only ourselves but the communities and the world of which we are part. Many church traditions ascribe to a doctrine of the priesthood of all believers suggesting that we all have a role – a priestly role – in acknowledging and seeking forgiveness for the sin of the world. As part of gathered worship you may wish to use symbols or pictures on screen representing the consequences of sinful behaviours and invite people to pray over these.
• Jesus didn’t just speak of sin - he did something about it. He cared for the victims of others' sin. He challenged the powerful - in particular those whose sinful practices did so much damage. Ultimately, he gave up his own life speaking out words of forgiveness as he did so. In encouraging people to think about the sin of the world there is a connected need to present the challenge to do something about it; by campaigning, lifestyle and spending choices, and the active loving support of those damaged by such sin.

 

Questions for discussion

• What do you think John the Baptist meant by the ‘sin of the world’? And what might that phrase mean and involve today?
• When we meet with ‘God in Christ’ in prayer, is our praying – even our confession - too self-centred? Can we, and if so how, seek forgiveness for the sin of the world of which we are part?
• In what ways are we complicit with the sinful systems of the world?
• What might Jesus be calling us to do to challenge sinful practices?
• How might we meet with Jesus in offering loving support to those who are the victims of others’ sin?

Andrew Roberts is a husband, father, Methodist Minister and the author of Holy Habits. He was once the lead model in Clergy on the Catwalk and won the Faster Pastor stock car race for members of the clergy.

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

Have you considered how quickly and powerfully news of something can spread simply by one person sharing it with another, who shares it with another and so on?  Look at the way trends develop on TikTok or YouTube videos become viral, because someone has seen it and shared it, sparking off a chain reaction.

The recent launch of Prime Hydration drink is a good example. Developed by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, word spread so quickly that the manufacturer couldn’t keep up with supply. Last week, there were chaotic scenes in some supermarkets when quantities of the drink were stocked as ‘special buys.’ People came, saw what was on offer, told others and this repeated until news had soon spread far and wide. What have you seen or discovered that you couldn’t wait to tell others about?

In this week’s reading from John 1:29-42, Jesus invites two people to come and see more about him for themselves. They realise that Jesus is the Messiah and want to share this with others so one of them, Andrew, goes and brings his brother Simon Peter to see Jesus too. This story contains the same pattern of come, see, tell, repeat as was shown by those who found the hydration drink in stock at a supermarket. What do you see in Jesus that you would like to tell other people about? Can you find an opportunity this week to share your faith with someone else?

Darren Philip is National Stewardship Consultant with the Church of Scotland (https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/resources/stewardship/a-narrative-of-generosity) where he writes resources for intergenerational ministry.

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