Weekly Greeting - September 18, 2026

“You have made them equal to us…” 

I slid right past that phrase as I was studying for this week’s sermon until one commentator brought me back to it.  It’s easy to miss.  It’s part of a longer complaint from the mouth of one of the laborers whom the landowner hired early in the morning. 

If I’ve lost you already, go ahead and read Matthew 20:1-16. 

The full complaint of the laborer is that 

 “You have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”  As we sit under a heat dome in Tennessee, I was most drawn to the laborers’ complaint about the scorching heat.  I mean, who doesn’t have sympathy for them while we face record high temperatures? 

But the key is right there — You have made them equal to us. 

In theory we believe that everyone is equal at the foot of the cross, but what happens when someone gets something we think they don’t deserve?  What happens when someone gets the same thing that we have when they didn’t do the same work that we did to get it?  Do we get a little cross about it?  Do we question why they are equal to us? 

Before you come to worship on Sunday, read Matthew 19:16-30.  You’ll see that it’s Peter’s question that prompts Jesus to tell this story.  Peter wants to know what he will get in return for leaving everything and following Jesus.  What do we expect from Jesus for leaving everything to follow him? 

Grateful for God’s grace for all

Mary Beth