Notices 26th October 2025

A special welcome to everyone joining us in worship at Kingston today.

Luke 18: 9-14

Ever wish you were someone else?

The fact is, a fair portion of the world’s population wish they were you. This is the lucky country and if you are one of its proud citizens, you are amongst the world’s  privileged! It is so easy then, to look upon another’s misfortune and say the prayer of the Pharisee; “God, I thank you that I am not diseased, dydfunctional or displaced. God, I especially thankyou that I am not an asylum seeker!” It’s a justifiable position saying such a prayer. But the person who prays this prayer does not seek their justification in God. Infact, a person who prays such a prayer needn’t feel like they need to pray at all. Such people have no need of God and, with this degree of arrogance, the world needs them even less!

The broken and contrite heart, however, asks for something better. A better self, a better world, a better and open relationship with our heavenly Creator. The humble heart asks “What I can do for you?”, not “What’s in it for me?”Whatever we feel about aliens moving into our sheltered utopia, however justified we feel those feelings might be, the gospel stands above and against this kind of human rationalism. Sure, we can dump on these ‘illegals’ from the position of power and privilege, or we can look at them through the eyes of Christ and welcome them.

They are, afterall, our neighbours.

Rev. Michael Duke