I apologize for the framing error in the second half of this video – once this recording was done, this was impossible to correct, given my present editing skills level.
Rarely has “Be perfect …” been presented so imperfectly!
Remember, you can use the controls at the bottom of the video screen to do several things
* Enlarge the video to fill you screen, so the text is easier to read
* Pause the video while you look at the text for yourself
* Backtrack to listen to a section again
* Adjust the volume
Thanks very much for this illuminating piece. More and more I am beginning to (belatedly) understand how my faith only makes sense in the context of the collective body of Christ, not as an individual struggling to be ‘perfect’ (with ref. to the Matthew reading). These verses exhort us to act as a people living out a new way for the benefit of the whole world as well as those individuals we have contact with. Jesus’ vision of what is possible is huge and inspiring! It also shows remarkable confidence in what humanity can achieve with God’s loving example.
Thanks for your response, Gillian. I obviously agree with you that Jesus’ teaching about perfection in Matthew’s Gospel is not an ideal, but rather an agenda for his followers as a body setting out to revolutionize our world. Does anyone else have a comment on this?
Howard Pilgrim