Which one am I?

I don’t like binaries and the sermon title for this Sunday is deliberately chosen to highlight binaries . . . so I can redefine these two as ends of a continuum. The primary text for the sermon is Luke 18:9-14, a passage frequently called the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. It is a story familiar to many about a self-righteous Pharisee being compared to a rather desperate tax collector. The two approach God in prayer in dramatically different ways.

I wanted us to think about the two, not as real people as this is a parable, but rather as the two ends of a continuum. At the one end is self-proclaimed perfection, especially in comparison to the other end. The other end is a sense of having nothing to offer.

We can easily find ourselves close to one end or the other depending on the day we are having but the reality of our existence is somewhere in the middle.

As always, let me know what you think of the sermon.

NOTE: there is only one sermon this week as the roads were declared “travel not recommended” so I didn’t travel.

“Which one am I?” Knox and St. Mark’s joint service (to download, right-click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

Blessings,