Romans 9:19-33; Stumbling

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . ." "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"

Those are conflicting points of view. Perhaps when everyone in the room is from the same social order then "all men are created equal"; yet the world at large does not work that way. Even the slaves of Jefferson and Washington would have probably questioned the statement had they been allowed the same voice that their owners were rebelling to obtain.

Thus we come into life on "unequal footing". The text then teaches that we cannot work our way into a better place. No pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. We can obtain a right standing with our Creator only by his grace and our faith in the Incarnation.

How un-American is this passage. What a stumbling block it is to our way of thinking. Also how amazing that tomorrow is July 4. Maybe the stumbling block was laid in Zion but we can still trip over it in Texas.

On Alert; Luke 12:35-48

It seems so un-American this passage. In a society where everything is designed to push us to sit back and enjoy, to relax, to take it easy, this teaching is out of place.

Jesus tells us to be alert to his presence and his needs. He calls us to be attentive at all times. He calls us to never be caught spiritually asleep.

At the end, he adds another un-American idea. He concludes not only with punishment being distributed, something that we struggle with in a tolerant society, but also he unapologetically says that more is demanded of some than of others. This seems so unfair. We feel that all are to be treated equally.

As is consistent with the nature of God, he does not mix equal and fair, as we tend to do. What is fair may not be that which is equal.

Thus we are called to respond to God at all times in the way that corresponds to our very own giftedness. Fair but not equal.