This Sunday I will be preaching at my local church, St Pauls in Andover. It isn’t quite my final Sunday in the parish, but it would be lovely to see you.

As I sat down to prepare for today’s sermon I realised something. All my commentaries are packed ready for the move back into parish ministry and a relocation to Devon. I am really looking forward to unpacking everything and setting up home in Hemyock and the Upper Culm Valley Mission Community, however it is going to make unpacking today’s gospel passage a little tricky.

So, instead of rifling through the pages of my trusted books, I have taken a leaf out of our former Gen-Z vicar’s book and gone online. AI gives us this:

Luke 18 offers insights on persistent prayer, divine justice, and humility over self-righteousness. Key lessons include the parables of the persistent widow and the Pharisee and the tax collector, which teach that God answers persistent prayer and that true righteousness comes from humility, not arrogance. It also includes the story of the rich ruler, which shows the challenges some face in prioritizing God’s kingdom, and Jesus’ interaction with the blind man, emphasizing faith and the need to approach God with humility.  

AI

The ‘core message’ for Luke 18:9-14 ‘Teaches humility in prayer and a right attitude toward God.’ so I thought we could begin with an ‘attitude check’. The protagonist of this story is the Pharisee, the religious leader, one who should be looked up to for inspiration and advice. Surely if we are in line with the actions of one who knows the holy works inside out and back to front, who’s very purpose is to live out the scriptures, then we are doing well.

Firstly the Pharisee has come to a public place to pray, so if you are in church with me this morning you can tick that one off! Well done.

Secondly the Pharisee is an upright member of society, he is not a thief, rogue, or adulterer keeping square with at least some of the Ten Commandments. Neither is he a hated Tax Collector working for the occupying forces. He probably even has friends.

Thirdly the nameless Pharisee fasts, not once, but twice a week. Hmmm, I think I may have last fasted during lent. In the past I have fasted on a more regular basis, but working from home with a family who don’t like to fast and feel uncomfortable when I do, that has slipped… so many excuses! Perhaps my attitude to prayer and fasting needs some attention. How is everyone else doing? I was going to suggest a show of hands, but I read on to the end of the passage and decided that might not be such a good idea.

Finally the unknown Pharisee tithes. It is a Judeo/Christian concept that everyone should give a tenth of their income to God. It is a good principle, we should give to God the cream of the crop, the first portion of our wealth should be returned to God out of thankfulness and in order to support the mission, the work of the church. There are complications with tithing though. Do we count the 10% before or after tax? Before or after essential bills (I’m talking rent/mortgage as opposed to Netflix)? Do we give the whole 10% to church or should we split it and give to other charities. I once heard a talk by J John which suggested that to be truly generous Christians we should tithe the full 10% and then give to the collection plate! Tithing is a principle I have tried to follow since being a teenager, but when your income drops dramatically it is a hard call to make: after all 10% of nothing is nothing. I have also heard it said from former parishioners, ‘but when you have as much as we do 10% is an awful lot’ which seemed to me to be missing the point. The Pharisee tithes and feels so good about it he adds it to his long, and loud, prayers.

Can we tick off all the things that the Pharisee does?

The Pharisee though, also stands in public and makes a personal judgement on someone who has quietly come to pray, simply because he is different. The Pharisee is so focused on who he is and his own righteousness that he cannot see the good in the other, does not recognise that they are both made in the image of God.

According to Google’s AI the key message of this passage is

Jesus states that the humble tax collector, who asked God for mercy, went home justified, while the self-righteous Pharisee who thanked God for his own goodness was humbled.

AI

And yes, humility rather than pride is next to Godliness, but there is something else too. The Tax Collector stood far off, head bowed, and the Pharisee did not reach out to him. There was no welcome to a sinner, there was no love, no assurance of God’s forgiveness, and definitely no invitation to a welcome supper or an Alpha Course. The Pharisee kept at a distance not wanting to be sullied by keeping company with a sinner. Pride was embedded in the Pharisee’s culture, especially as a male. Even today observant Jews will begin the day by praying a morning ritual which thanks God for ‘not making me a gentile, a slave, or a woman’.

The Tax Collector knew his own sinfulness and came to repent and to belong, as have we, in part, today. We would prefer to see ourselves as the humble tax collector, because he is the one who is praised by Jesus, he is the one who will go home justified. Perhaps though, there is something of the Pharisee in each of us? I belong to an online group for Christians whose aim is to support each other, however I often find myself cringing at comments suggesting others, including the new Archbishop of Canterbury, are not proper Christians, simply because they hold a different interpretation of Scripture; and I have to confess that I, in turn, judge them for having accepted every word of the Bible at face value rather than prayerfully studying the context. I judge them for not being inclusive of others. I judge them for being judgemental, which is a little ironic!

My faith begins with thanking God that I am made a woman. I thank God that humanity is made in the many different facets of the image of God, and that God is beyond gender, race, even religion. I want to welcome those who know they are sinners as well as those who are only just beginning to realise it. I want to welcome all those who have been made to feel sinful just because they are different. I want to serve a church which is as inclusive as the gospel Jesus preached: Good News for ALL.

I am excited that we have a woman as our next Archbishop of Canterbury, I hadn’t dared hope because I knew across the Anglican Communion there would be those whose objection to women in leadership would be a stumbling block. I knew those who do not want to welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community as equals would reject a leader who does. Without wanting to be too judgemental, I wonder how Jesus views those who are walking away? Does he see in them the overtly righteous Pharisee or the painfully, prayerfully, aware Tax Collector?

Last week someone commented on my Facebook page

Speaking the truth of the gospel can sometimes upset the powerful.

It has been easy for me to write this, but will I have the confidence to speak the words on Sunday? And if I do speak up, how do I manage to do that without judgement, but prayerfully, and with humility. This series of parables are teachings on prayer, so I humbly ask you to pray with me as I stand from the pulpit this week, and speak in and of God’s abundant, inclusive love.

One final point. The Pharisee is nameless throughout. He is an icon of judgementalism and not a fully rounded human being. In our prayers, more than anything, we seek to be known by God, and to know God more deeply and intimately. Let us turn to God in our prayers, not focussing on the things we get right, or even the things we get wrong, but seeking God’s loving and welcoming presence.