Sermon: John 1:29-42 ; 13.01.02 St A’s

“Don’t buy our car, buy theirs instead”. / washing powder.

Stupid in advertising

But that’s was John the Baptist’s message “I’ve come to baptise with water… he’s going to come and baptise with the Holy Spirit. He is greater than I am”.

John’s ministry is one of POINTING to Jesus

“Here is the Lamb of God”
Lamb of God? “…who takes away the sin of the world”

 sacrifices in old testament. “Guilt offering” To take away sins.

Of course a sheep couldn’t take away sins completely/ forever- kept having to make sacrifice. Because nothing we do can get us to heaven.

Jesus as Lamb of God.

Only God could save us.

Only we should.

Why Jesus became man.

Paintings of Jesus on the Cross. Often have John the Baptist standing by cross pointing.

But wasn’t John the Baptist dead?

Yes, but that’s what his ministry was about. Even in this story  cross.

That’s what our lives should be like.

Icon in Taizé: Jesus and a disciple – “Jesus and his friend”.

Jesus has his arm around the friend- protection, salvation.

Friend pointing towards Jesus. “Don’t look at me, look at him”; “He is the centre of my life”

How can we point towards Jesus?

First we need to know Jesus and meet him for ourselves. Prayer, sacraments but if we want to meet Jesus the teacher from Nazareth, we need to read Gospels.

That’s why the Gospels were written. Not just to record the bare facts. Help us to meet J.

That’s why Gospels hold such as significant place in the church.

• Live out lives like his. Doing things for others  cross.
• Stand up for him. Even when it costs.
• Bring people to him v41 “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” ”.

Archbishop William Temple “The greatest service that one man can render another”

CONCLUSION

Might not sound like very good business sense / respectable thing in the world but we do need to follow the example of John the Baptist and Andrew, pointing to Jesus.

PRAYER