How on earth can we churchy types express the idea of sin to non churchy types? When you say "sin" to someone there is a sense of accusing that person of terrible things. I think "human nature" is a better way of expressing it at first. After all we all have that and understand its limitations and drawbacks. Also we realize we are all in it together. There is no sense of one group of people accusing another. So that's it Jesus came to save us from human nature. He came to buy us back into fellowship with God, to turn us away from the bad things that bug us, from all the regrets and into his way.
I have written in previous posts about disasters. In the case of Concorde, decisions by people, plus other factors were directly to blame for the event. In the case of the Penlee disaster it may have been avoided if someone had made a better choice in the time beforehand and as a consequence brave men and the ship's crew and the captain and his family died. 9/11 was certainly the result of wicked men committing a terrorist act, but even in this there was heroism notably by another Cornish man, Rick Rescorla who helped many to safety and left it too late to help himself. In situations like this we see what the human spirit is capable of both good and evil. What of disasters that come on people because of the earth restless movement of tectonic plates. Often people live near volcanoes because the land is rich and fertile and they have the chance of a better life there when the volcano is resting. We cannot blame them for that but sometimes people become complacent...
That's a risky word to be using isn't it? You might upset somebody saying three letter words like that, I mean it's one of those words that we seem to sweep under the carpet.
ReplyDeleteSeriously I think we do people a disservice when we stop using the word sin just because we feel it is unfashionable - I tend to use it from time to time and them make a comment along the lines of 'did I really just say SIN!?
I hope your service goes well and you never know I may even mark your work as I assess part B of faith and worship.