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Whatever else you can say about the 2010s, one thing is for sure: there’s been no shortage of news. And where there are news headlines, there are sermon illustrations… Whether you think of this as “Jesus News Jacking” or “Thought-provoking Cultural Analysis”, here are nine occasions from the last ten years which screamed gospel truth to us: how many of these did you preach/hear/tweet/blog/post this decade?
In August 2010 a collapse at the San Jose copper-gold mine left 33 men trapped 700 meters underground. 69 days later, an estimated 1 billion people worldwide watched as each miner was raised to the surface in a specially built capsule.
The joyful scenes as each miner emerged into the daylight and was reunited with his loved ones raised natural comparisons with Christ’s power to rescue us from death to life, darkness to light, and entrapment to freedom. The fact that many of miners, most of whom were Roman Catholic, wore t-shirts bearing the slogan “¡Gracias Señor”—“Thank you Lord”—added power to the message.
As Kate Middleton became the first “commoner” to marry a future king of England, Prince William, at a service at Westminster Abbey, we were reminded that by faith we become the bride of Christ and are bestowed with all his royal privileges—as well as a really nice dress (Revelation 2 v 12). Truly, the greatest love story ever.
We were treated to a refresh of this illustration when Meghan and Harry wed in 2018—although this time it was arguably Michael Curry’s sermon that created the most buzz on Christian social media.
In the UK, the summer of 2018 will always be remembered as the year the sun shone, the beer ran out, and football almost came home. As England stormed their way to the semi-finals of the World Cup, the nation held their breath in hope of regaining their lost footballing glory of the past—illustrating our deep human longing to “come home” to the glory of Eden.
It was also a great illustration of federal headship—in football, when “our team” win, the whole nation wins; and in salvation, when “our man” wins, his people win (despite having contributed nothing to the effort). And on the morning of the 8th July, following England’s defeat to Croatia, Christians sure were glad to wake up to the truth that there’s more to life than football.
While 11th November gives Christians an opportunity to reflect on themes of sacrifice, salvation and courage every year, the centenary of the Armistice ending the First World War allowed us to take it to the next level. The 100 years of conflict that have followed “the war to end all wars” illustrates that there’s something deeply wrong with the human heart.
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign of 2016 was memorable for many reasons, but it is perhaps his promise that “We will build a wall” (along the US’s southern border with Mexico) that will live longest in popular memory.
Christians (well, some of them) were quick rejoice that while walls are an emblem of our human tendency towards conflict and division, within the family of the church Christ has “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” that used to keep us apart (Ephesians 2 v 14), and promises us a future in a New Jerusalem where the gates are never shut (Revelation 21 v 25).
In March 2018, a French policeman—Arnaud Beltrame—lost his life having swapped himself for a hostage when an Islamist gunman laid siege to a supermarket. He was rightly hailed as a hero… and also held up as a powerful illustration of how the Lord Jesus “swapped places” with us on the cross, and gave his life so that we can go free.
In April 2010 an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Iceland disrupted thousands of flights, leaving travellers all over Europe stranded for days. In the aftermath, it was found that many travel insurance claims would not be paid out, as volcanic eruptions were classed as an “act of God” and therefore outside of human control.
Christians quietly cheered at the mention of “God” in the newspaper headlines, and affirmed that yes, humans are not sovereign—but God is. Creation is groaning, and there’s only one insurance policy valid against his earth-shaking “day of the Lord” to come: Jesus.
2016 saw a remarkable wave of celebrity deaths hit the headlines—from pop legend David Bowie on 10th January to actress Carrie Fisher on 27th December (with others including Alan Rickman, Prince and Victoria Wood in between). Many of the celebrities were only in middle age, and the public’s anger and sadness at the intrusion of death illustrated that there is something painfully unnatural about the reality that one out of every one of us will die. It’s not how the world was meant to be. But because of sin, it’s the way the world is (Genesis 3 v 19)—and all of us need to make sure that we’re ready for today to be our last.
In a clip that quickly went viral, Professor Robert E Kelly’s interview on BBC News about South Korea was interrupted when his two kids burst into the room (before hurriedly being hauled out again by their mother). It was absolute comedy gold, and brought joy to frazzled parents of pre-schoolers all over the world.
But expert “Jesus News Jackers” rejoiced to remember that through Christ, every Christian can stride into their heavenly Father’s throneroom in prayer with all the swaggish confidence of a toddler who knows that her dad loves her (and although our Father’s job is pretty important, he always welcomes the interruption). Wonderful.
What sermon-illustration-worthy headlines have we missed? Tell us in the comments below!
Rachel Jones is the author of A Brief Theology of Periods (Yes, Really), Is This It? and several books in the award-winning Five Things to Pray series, and serves as Vice President (Editorial) at The Good Book Company. She helps teach kids at her church, King's Church Chessington, in Surrey, UK.
