Shepherd said the Christian church, particularly in the West, has become obsessed with sin and guilt.

"We persist in looking for someone to blame," he said. "We insist on seeking out the guilty party."

Shepherd preached on the story in John 9 in which Jesus heals the blind man, noting that the disciples were more concerned with the sin behind the man's condition than his healing.

"Those disciples should have been asking who to praise, who to glorify," he said.

Shepherd said he doesn't deny the reality of sin or the necessity of the cross.

"What I am saying is there is more to our faith than this," he said. "Jesus said it's all about manifesting the glory of God. Perhaps, in other words, the appropriate approach to this world, with its mysteries, quandaries, tragedies - and comedies, too - is not so much that of guilt as that of glory."

The service included music from the City Singers Community Children's Choir of Richmond.