Sunday Reflection: "I can resist anything except temptation"
At St James' Church, Whitehaven this morning the Revd. Alison Riley began her sermon with the following humorous quotation:
"I can resist anything except temptation" (Oscar Wilde)
This always reminds me of a story about a group of clergy who were discussing which biblical quotations were the greatest help to them in avoiding sin. I have told this tale before but not for a few years so I will repeat it.
A fiery young deacon, just out of his theological college, quoted Romans 6, Verse 23:
"For sin pays a wage, and that wage is Death, but God gives freely, and his gift is eternal life, in union with Jesus Christ our Lord."
A recently ordained lady curate, while accepting that the passage from Romans reminds us of something very important, preferred passages which concentrated more on the infinite love and compassion of God, and cited John, Chapter 14, verse 15:
"If you love me, you will obey my commands, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforter, who will be with you for ever - the spirit of truth."
An elderly canon, who had been listening in silence, congratulated the previous speakers on being able to quote such beautiful and high-minded passages as a way to avoid sin.
"But for me," he said, "The words which are of most use in resisting temptation come from Chapter 12 Verse 1 of the letter of Paul to the Hebrews:
"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses ...."
"I can resist anything except temptation" (Oscar Wilde)
This always reminds me of a story about a group of clergy who were discussing which biblical quotations were the greatest help to them in avoiding sin. I have told this tale before but not for a few years so I will repeat it.
A fiery young deacon, just out of his theological college, quoted Romans 6, Verse 23:
"For sin pays a wage, and that wage is Death, but God gives freely, and his gift is eternal life, in union with Jesus Christ our Lord."
A recently ordained lady curate, while accepting that the passage from Romans reminds us of something very important, preferred passages which concentrated more on the infinite love and compassion of God, and cited John, Chapter 14, verse 15:
"If you love me, you will obey my commands, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforter, who will be with you for ever - the spirit of truth."
An elderly canon, who had been listening in silence, congratulated the previous speakers on being able to quote such beautiful and high-minded passages as a way to avoid sin.
"But for me," he said, "The words which are of most use in resisting temptation come from Chapter 12 Verse 1 of the letter of Paul to the Hebrews:
"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses ...."
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