The Pharisee and the Tax Collector - Luke 18:9-14

Truly was Our Lord right to castigate the Pharisee. For he stood boldly in the temple and declared himself righteous. And yet we know he was not so. For did the Pharisees not try to stand in their own strength? Did they not claim their own righteousness - yet still in their hearts they lusted after women (and possibly, for all we know, men) and desired wealth and coveted power and the admiration of others. So they were sinners, sinners, sinners and we know it and they knew it. Hypocrites and play-actors and dissemblers. And the publican - surely he was lost in his sin. Yet he knew his sin and confessed it, and stood in the temple and was justified in his confession.
Although if he went away and sinned again, of course, then his sin was the worse - for the possibility of repentance was still before the Pharisee, yet the publican had now received his chance (Heb 6:4-6).

And what for us? As a minister, clearly it is my responsibility that I show in public the perfect nature that can be attained by all those who are washed clean. I must not fall - and I do not mean in the sense that I demonstrated in Frisby on Soar, that day when I threw myself into the compost heap to avoid the doubles-entendres of Mrs Collins. No - I must be seen to utter no coarse words, to drink no alcohol, to avoid the lustful glance of the eye towards the hinder quarters of women of the opposite sex (and especially of Eileen, who would surely smite anyone she considered to be acting in base manner towards her, particularly if it were me). But I feel I can share with you for, while the presence of you honeymooning Slovakians brings up our attendance here to 3, representing 200% growth in two weeks, you don't speak a word of English, and you'll be off back to Zvolen tomorrow morning. So I can tell you that - although I work hard to be perfect in the light, yet in the darkness of my own house I often sneak more than the regulation number of Fox's Glacier Mints, a luxury I despise and yet love so much. How far I have fallen. Can I be forgiven? I strive with fear and trembling to repent. And yet the next day I'm off to the Glacier Mints again. Sometimes I am so overcome with my sinfulness with respect to my mint addiction that I can't even raise the energy to check how my Nestle, Halliburton and Ryanair shares are doing.