About the Author: University Baptist Church Charlottesville
University Baptist Church is a vibrant community of faith, bringing together university students and area residents in worship, study, and service to our community. We seek to be an authentic community of Christians who love and care for each other as a family, and openly welcome and include all people regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or background. We believe that all people have important gifts to share in God’s family, working together as the hands and feet of our good and loving God. Continue exploring our website to learn more about our values, opportunities to get involved, and ongoing ministries in our community.
How are we complicit in the sin of the world? (A Sermon from Psalm 51)
Before we can move on, though, we need to be honest with ourselves. Before we can get to the prayer, “Create in me a clean heart” (51.10), we have to face our sins. Saying, “Create in me a clean heart,” reflects an inner desire for God’s purification. The words are a confession of our need for change. It’s so easy to point to the killer, the public official who said the wrong words, the rioters at the Capitol, the conspiracy theorists, and the anti-vaxxers. We say, They’re the ones with a problem. They are the hateful ones. Not me.
People gather in churches around the world, week after week, and I wonder how often we stop to consider who God actually is.