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Good morning
I used to fancy the idea of being a judge – but there was way too much work to do before I’d get to wear the wig and take charge of a courtroom. So I studied music instead, thinking that would be more fun. 
And now I sometimes get to judge music festivals. It’s less critical than deciding who goes to gaol – but it’s nonetheless satisfying work. 
My job is to provide praise and criticism to every competitor. Even a stunning performance can be improved. So I end up talking about heights of piano stools, posture,  how to make a choir sound like one voice, how to use your face to tell a story when you sing – and so on.  Everyone should leave the competition with a sense of how they might make progress – even if they don’t win any prizes. 
Judging other people’s performances also makes me more reflective about my own. Perversely, being cast in the role of the expert reminds me that we are all still learning. And we all have to live with our failure to be perfect, not just in music, but in the whole of life. 
Maybe that’s why Jesus told us not to judge others – to take the whopping great plank out of our own eye before we rush to deal with the speck of sawdust in someone else’s. 
Lord God, Judge of the living and the dead, we praise you for the beautiful twist of the Christian Gospel, wherein your judgement is passed not on the basis of my failure to keep the law, but on the basis of your mercy and grace. 
Help us to deal honestly with our own imperfections, rather than criticizing others, and so to share in your forgiveness and love.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
Amen