Impressed?

I'm never sure whether to be impressed or saddened when I come across perfect people.

I mean, fancy not needing Jesus. It must be very lonely. Not being loved. It's all very well being able to look St Paul in the eye and saying, "Rip out Romans 2.1 from the Bible, it doesn't apply to me, boyo," but the follow on is that you lose Romans 5.8 too.

I'm afraid that I am totally fed up of the utter twaddle that is being spouted about MPs expenses AGAIN. Amazingly, everyone and his wife AGAIN are perfect. They have never fiddled the tax man, claimed something that wasn't theirs, taken more change from Tesco than they should have. (Well, it's not the same, is it?) These lousy MPs should just pay for everything from their wages.

And when they bring investors from abroad to their homes, to entertain them so that they will bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of investment into their constituencies - NO! NO expenses. The home is not the job.

Twaddle. Bunkum. Self-righteous hypocrisy.

I posted a comment on someone's facebook (you'd think I'd learn) with an apology. I said:

I know it's not a popular opinion, but clergy realise that the home is needed as a part of the job. Seems to me that if an MP is entertaining people in the constituency in order to bring in jobs and investment, as I hope mine does, then some upkeep on his house and entertainment costs are entirely appropriate from the public purse. Sorry.

I'll give you one guess how many agreed with me. Two irate females spouted nonsense against me - quoting moats and porn movies.

That's right - all MPS spent a fortune on moats and porn. If it were true, I think I might be tempted to change careers.

Goodness me. I do not for a moment think all MPs got everything right, but nor do I think that the mistakes of the few give the mob a right to the kind of sanctimonious witchunt of the public spirited that we have seen over the past months. It is sickening. As Christians, we should stand up for those who serve us in Parliament, especially those who have sinned badly, and not lounge around pointing fingers and bad-mouthing men and women who need support not brick-bats.

Or is this the new evangelicalism? Love your neighbour - unless he's gay or an MP? God preserve us from ourselves and grant us more of Jesus than a heart like that.

Oh - the rose at the top? Something beautiful on a day when people are being ugly. The last rose of October in my garden. Red and lovely and rather wonderful, isn't it?