In this week’s rather unsettling Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus is very critical of those he calls ‘hypocrites.’ The word hypocrite in Ancient Greek (the language Luke was writing in) meant ‘actor’ or ‘pretender.’ Jesus calls on us not to be pretenders, but to be brutally honest with ourselves about how we fall short of his commandments to love God and one another. If we are honest and resolve to change our lives and the world around us for good, Jesus promises to love us with the unfathomable love he showed by dying on the Cross.

Revd Richard