Gospel
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Often times we hear the parables and ask ourselves who we are in the story.
We usually see ourselves as the protagonist in the parable. But today we need to examine our prayers a little more.
When we give thanks, do we give thanks for blessings, or do we give thanks for our self reported righteousness?
Do we sit in church and are glad we are not like those who do not go to church and maybe even subconsciously offer our attendance up as proof of our loyalty and trust in God.
Maybe we hold up our words of corrections to others as proof of our position in the grand scheme of things. We see ourselves as Gods messenger making sure all people know their failings and where the come up short.
Do we think we are more loved by God for what we do or say?
If this sounds like me then I am closer to the Pharisee than the tax collector.
And maybe my use of worship and scriptural knowledge is more about me than it is about Jesus Christ.
The disciples struggled with this too.
They did at times think of their position … rather than understand they were to be servants of all. James and John were good examples but the reaction of the other disciples shows us they too suffered from self righteous thoughts.
Jesus parables while usually pointing to an audience in front of him also should challenge us to ask where do I REALLY fit in the parable.
Most of the time we are not in the role we think.
The truth is God loves all of us. Sinners that we are. The more we serve God and others the closer we will be to God and closer to the position we are called to from our baptism.
Maybe most of us are a little bit of the tax collector and the Pharisee.
We sometimes forget our calling but even sinners like us sometimes gets it right, and can realize we can do nothing to earn Gods love and salvation. For God loves us all. And Jesus paid for our salvation in full.
He created us and created an invitation for all of us to return to the Father. All we have to do is accept it and follow his directions as servants of all people.
Deacon Tony Pynes 
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