I’m preaching at St. John’s on Sunday. The Gospel is Luke 18: 9-14, the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The last line of it is: “He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” As you’re probably aware if you’ve read earlier sermons, I like to start with a joke, but I was having trouble thinking of one. Thank God for Google. I found two, and I’ll share the one I’m not going to use.
“Father Brown was such a humble and yet able vicar that his parishioners got together and one Sunday gave him a pin that said, ‘The Church’s Humblest Priest.’ He was quite touched, so the next Sunday he wore it on the lapel of his clerical suit, so they took it away from him.”
I have a different take on the story, thanks to the Episcopal News Service, so I shall be able to write it tomorrow, along with the discussion group I’ll be leading at St. Anne’s. Sunday, after St. John’s, I shall be going to Giles Goddard’s installation as an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral. So a busy weekend.
I am reminded of Raymond Smullyan’s parable of a man named John who was so modest that he signed his letters “He who is modest”. As you might imagine, someone pointed out to one of John’s colleagues what a self-falsifying statement this was. The reply was: “No, you don’t understand. John is completely modest — so much so that he no longer regards it as a virtue.”
Current Mood: humble, I hope
watch it, buster, or I’ll have to arrange to have your button confiscated.
I’m so humble that I contributed my button to charity, so there’s none to confiscate.
oh, well, that’s all right then